The Mute Octave
by Henry Anthony Courtler
Summary: Henry was like any average person, content, happy, and always looking for the brighter side of things... Until a traumatic event tears him apart from the very core, changing every facet of who he was and could have been. A fellow musician renowned for her many concert performances literally stumbles into his life and begins to show a different side of what it means to live.
1. S1 Episode 0-1: The Pilot

**The Mute Octave**

**Chapter 0-1: The Pilot**

[i] _The sun shone brightly, hanging just above the horizon as the day began with a crisp, clear, blue sky as far as the eye could see. People went about their business at the Milford Amtrak station, one in particular being a woman who walked hand in hand with a small boy, a messy mop of dark curls on his head, green eyes looking about excitedly. "Mama, mama! When's the train getting here?!" he asked excitedly as they walked towards a bench near the platform._

_ As they sat down, the woman lifted him into her lap, a soft smile on her face. Brushing back a strand of her straight brown hair, she laughed. "It will be here soon, Henry. You've just been so eager this morning for your first chance at riding the train, huh?" she teased, tickling his _  
_chin and causing him to burst into a loud giggling fit._

_ "M-mama! That t-tickles!" Henry called out near breathlessly as he tried to get away from her playful grasp. A train's horn could be heard blaring in the distance. "Mama, it's coming, the train's coming!" Henry ran all the way to the edge of the platform, stopping right next to the tracks.[/i]_

"Hey 'Tavi! Watch this! Woohoo!" Octavia rolled her eyes as her roommate took a dive onto the crowd of ponies below, all of them howling uproariously as the... band... on the stage screamed their newest rock song, 'Loco Locomotive' at the top of their lungs. Whoever this Black Saddle was, they had no sense of decency. Octavia took a sip of the drink Vinyl had hoofed her before diving into the crowd, and nearly gagged. "This... is _not _wine. Ugh!" She set the glass down with a thunk, and turned her glare towards the distasteful excuse for equines that were the reason she was here. [i]_Ugh, and to think I used to like trains.[/i]_ Vinyl appeared again, hollering and whooping like an idiot. Octavia sighed.

[i] _"Henry! Get away from there, it's not safe! The yellow line means do not cross, alright?"_

_ "Okay, mama. Sorry..."_  
_  
Henry's mother smiled. "That's quite alright, Henry. Just so long as you follow the rules, alright?"_

_ "Okay, mama! No problem! Oh, the train's here, the train's here!" The train slowed to a stop before Henry and his mother, a loud[/i] _hiss_ [i]permeating the air for a moment before the doors pulled open.[/i]_

Vinyl Scratch opened her own drink, pouring some into a glass for Octavia. "C'mon, 'Tavi! It's good stuff, Berry Punch made it special. You know how great her wine is!"

"... Well, her wine [i]_is[/i]_ very sophisticated..."

[i] _The train ride was very peaceful for Henry as he gazed at the different landscapes that blurred slightly past them. "I can't wait to see grandma!" he said excitedly, legs swinging over his seat playfully._

_ "Me neither." His mother said happily, running a hand through his curly hair. "Maybe you should take a nap so you'll be ready to go all over the place once we get there," she suggested coyly, watching him try to hide his yawn. Henry had to wake up particularly early to catch the train with her and she knew he still could use more rest._

_ "Sure...mama..." he answered between yawns as he sat on her lap, burying his face in her chest as she hugged him and gently rocked him.[/i]_

Vinyl shook Octavia, who was laying belly-up on the ground in their private booth. "Octy... Hey, Octy...snrk, hehehehehe..."

"Wha-whahahahat d-do you want, hee hee, ha, um, Viny-[i]_hic[/i]_-Viny- Vinny! Viiinnnieeee~ What is it?"

"Dude, Octy, hahaha, I got [i]_hooves![/i]_ Pff-hahahaha!" Vinyl and Octavia fell into a pile of giggles and cheap alcohol, Octavia tickling Vinyl's sides with as much force as she could muster. Which was not that much, considering her state of inebriation.

"That's not all you've got, miss pointy-hat!" Octavia giggled again, rolling on the ground as she stared with crazed eyes at her friend.

"P-pointy hat? Haha, what?"

"Pointy hat! Yooou're a witch! Witchy witchy twitchy stitcthy!" Octavia busied herself with poking at Vinyl's horn, causing Vinyl to gasp at each contact, her horn sensitive to the touch and making her head throb with clarity at each surge of magic the contact entailed. "Witches in stitches!"

"St-stop it, Octy! Th-[i]_gasp[/i]_-that's... oohh, th-that feels [i]_soooo[/i]_ weird..."

_[i] Henry woke to a loud bang, his mother crouching in the train's drawing room's doorway, her hand to her chest. "Mama? What's wrong, mama? Is it a bad guy?"_

_ His mother put a finger to his lips. "Shh, be quiet, Henry. Yes; a bad guy's on the train, and he's trying to hurt people. Don't worry, as long as you're quiet, everything will be alright, okay?"_

_ Henry nodded, risking the consequences to say one more thing. "P-promise?" His mother kissed his forehead and pushed him gently into the drawing room._

_"Yes," she said. "I promise. Just be quiet, Henry. Don't speak until I say you can. Just be quiet." She said it softly, but seriously, a stern expression on her face. He nodded quietly and crawled beneath the seat, poking his head out a bit so he could watch.[/i]_

Octavia, in her drunken stupor, just continued to play with her friend's horn, despite Vinyl's protests. "Oh, come on, witchy-scratchy Vinyl Stitch! I'm- heehee- just punishing you for being so, hahaha, s-so [i]_horny[/i]_ all the time, pffff-hehehehe!"

Vinyl couldn't take it anymore, the constant poking and prodding of her horn was making the magic build up unstably, as it had no spell directing it. Finally getting control of her legs enough to bat away 'Tavi's hooves and roll to her own, Vinyl staggered towards the restroom, needing a breather. Octavia stumbled to her own hooves, tottering after her white-coated friend like she was under Piper Pie's musical spell.

_[i]The masked man marched down the aisle, gun pulled, yelling and rapping on the drawing room doors. He noticed Henry's mother as she stepped completely out of the small room, the train swaying as it took a corner. The man chuckled darkly. "Alright, bitch, gimmie all your money, an' maybe I'll let you live so you can service me," he said gruffly, his chuckle only getting creepier._

_ She just scowled as she whipped out a gun and a badge, presenting it to him. "The only people I 'service' are the people I protect! Put the gun down, I'm with the Millford Poli—"[/i]_

"Oh, Viiiinyyylll~" Octavia tackled Vinyl just as she got to the public restroom. Octavia, unable to find the coordination to poke with her hoof, instead just bit down on Vinyl's horn, sending a shockwave of energy down and back up the part-time DJ's spine.

Bang. [i]_It was like the distant rumble of thunder, distorted as if heard from underwater.[/i]_

The magical overload dissipated Vinyl Scratch's inebriation so fast that she couldn't stop herself when she had a crystal-clear picture show up in her mind: Bathroom. [i]_Now.[/i]_

**[b]Bang.[/b] [i]**_It was like a giant piston-powered hammer slamming home at the construction site down the street from the daycare center, loud enough to make you flinch, even though you know it's going to happen.[/i]_

"No! Don't teleport!" Too late. Vinyl Scratch teleported, the built-up energy flinging her and Octavia through dimensions of space neither pony could ever hope to understand before Vinyl wound up unconscious in the bathroom in hers and Octavia's apartment. Octavia was not with her when she landed.

**[b]BANG![/b] [i]**_It was the sound of a bell, a sound so chilling Henry was frozen in space and time as he watched his mother's gun, which had yet to discharge, fall to the ground slowly, painfully slow, the gasp that escaped his mother's lips bringing time and reality slamming back onto the fast-track.[/i]_

Hours later, Octavia stirred, groaning as she put a hoof to her head, "Ohh, I knew I shouldn't have let Vinyl talk me into drinking that... whatever it was."

_[i] Three loud gunshots rang clearly before his mother fell over onto her side, her green eyes wide in shock. She shifted her gaze from the gun, so close and yet too far, to her horrified son as tears leaked down her face.[/i]_

Still groaning, she got up onto all fours and tried to stretch, her forehooves slipping forward and causing her to fall on her face, "Oww..." Octavia whimpered. She was built for wine, not whiskey! She filled her glass with sophistication, not alcohol.

_[i] Coughing wetly, she reached a shaking hand not for her gun, but her son. "Hhhh-Henry..." She stuttered painfully, blood pouring out of her nose and mouth before she went still, her hand slapping against the floor. Her badge slid towards him as the masked man kicked it and walked by, only stopping to grab the purse on the drawing room's seat.[/i]_

She reached one of her hooves to her head and scratched at her ear. "Mmm..." The sensation was a lot more satisfying than normal, the slender points dividing her hooves were much more dexterous than her normal hooves.

Octavia paused a moment, before bringing her hoof in front of her face. It... It...

It wasn't a hoof. Octavia screamed.

_ [i]Henry wanted to scream, but he couldn't. His mama had told him not to. She'd wake up soon, and tell him he could stop playing the silent game. Then... Then he could scream, and laugh, and show Grandma his collection of bottlecaps, and[/i]_— Henry woke to a scream.

[hr]

His mind was instantly awake as he scrambled towards the bathroom, where the scream was coming from. He got to the door and was about to throw it open when he remembered his bat, next to his bed. He winced and slowly inched the door open.

He was surprised to see a woman lying on the floor, shaking and trembling as if in panic. Henry looked at the young woman, shaking nervously as his shaggy brown hair danced about his forehead, tan skin weakly glowing in the moonlight. His green eyes merely gazed at her as he studied her form.

She seemed roughly around his height, long, straight, dark-brown hair running down her neck ending at the small of her back in sharp tips. Long, thick bangs framed her forehead perfectly as her purple eyes dilated in near hysteria. She leaned her back against the wall and caused him to blush as the gears clicked in his head. Save for the purple bowtie tied around her neck, her supple body was unclothed.

Octavia took several deep breaths to calm herself, eventually managing to control her panicking, "Sweet Celestia..." she muttered to herself, "Where exactly am I and just how will I get myself out of this one?"

Something caught her attention from the top of her peripheral vision. She looked at Henry curiously, noticing that he shared many physical traits such as the odd "hooves" she had acquired as well as the distinct lack of fur.

Her mind raced, trying to give her an idea of what the creature before her might be, but it decided that that was too much work, and that it would shut down. "Pardon me for uh..." She tried to think of something that she could say to prevent things from getting out of hoof, "For barging in like this in the middle of the night." Octavia finally said, noticing that indeed Luna's moon was in the night sky, though it seemed to be lowering. _Be polite; ever a good first impression, even in unfamiliar surroundings._

Henry stood there quietly, hand idly resting against the door, eyes staring in her direction as he thought it over. Walking out of the room, Octavia tried to follow him, but only ended up falling in a heap to the floor.

"W-wait!" she weakly called after him before he came back into the room with a black slate-shaped item, and a blanket.

He took a seat on the floor, crossing his legs for comfort. He then held the blanket out for Octavia to take hold of, and she found herself shivering as she noticed how cold it was. She wrapped herself in the warm, fuzzy blanket, and looked at him in confusion as he fumbled for something on the slate that caused the side facing him to light up with a bright, but smooth white light that offered illumination in the dark room, revealing a bathroom proportioned for something of his size, and definitely not a pony.

She waited several moments for him to say something as he furiously tapped away at the screen before nearly blinding her with it as he held what appeared to be a glass-like window.

"Who the hell are you?!" the message read.

Octavia felt baffled. This creature wrote in the language of Equestria, but yet it was obvious he had never stepped foot there.

Adjusting her bowtie that felt a smidgen too tight with some minor difficulty from her new "hooves" she answered, "My name is Octavia, and... well, I don't know what I am now, but I assure you I was a pony yesterday!" she said in shock.

Henry looked at her in total disbelief, typing his next response before showing her the screen once again, "Pfft, and I'm the Queen of England."

Octavia harrumphed, "I am most certainly not lying." She said hotly, turning her nose up sharply.

Henry grinned softly. [i]_Well, she's either crazy, drunk, or drugged. In any case, it'd be easier to deal with her if she's happy.[/i]_ Writing once more, the text showed, "Relax, I was being sarcastic. What other way would a young woman end up in my house?"

She simply glared at him, "If you would like to use your witty sarcasm with me, why don't you just jest with me as such?"

He looked away with a sad, empty expression on his face, blue eyes glinting with an unreadable feeling. Slowly, he typed back to her, "I can't..." [i]_Mom...[/i]_

The musician's attitude softened immediately, "I am sorry for being so rude." she began sincerely, "I'm feeling quite stressed being in a body completely unlike my own...alone and separated from my friends..." her head lowered sadly, hair covering her face.

"I," Octavia started, her voice quavering. "I'm so sorry!" She wrapped her forelegs around the creature, and cried softly into his shoulder.

Henry looked at her teary face, slowly reaching out with his hand until he gently gripped her shoulder, tears streaming down his own face. _She's scared... If nothing else, that tells me she's telling the truth, or at least part of it._ She looked up at him, surprised to see him crying.

Octavia sniffled and sat on her haunches, her... 'Hooves' splayed on the cold tile. The blanket wrapped around her started to slip, and the man grabbed at it before it could, wrapping it tighter around her body.

"Oh!" Octavia gasped as the blanket was pulled a bit too tight, and Henry loosened it a bit, smiling apologetically.

Octavia noticed, with a hint of jealousy, that the colt wasn't sharing in her cold-induced misery, due to some strange clothing he was wearing. He had something that wrapped around his torso and went down his forelegs, and a shorter article of clothing covering his hindquarter and hindlegs.

Another cold breeze swept over her, causing her entire body to shiver involuntarily.

The colt held up the slate once more. "Do you need some clothes?"

She looked at him curiously, an eyebrow raised. "U-uh, sure? I-It is p-pretty cold!" she said with a slight chatter of her teeth. The blanket was nice and all, but didn't cover everything.

He nodded and stood up, towering above her on his hindlegs. Octavia shifted uncomfortably on her haunches. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she blushed, lowering her head ashamedly, "I don't know how to walk like that..."

Henry felt a bit conflicted. He knew it was the right thing to do to help her onto her feet, but... He was already feeling awkward, and didn't want to make it worse for either of them. Weighing his options quickly, he decided to risk it; he could at least get her in bed, and- no, NO, not like that, just to get her warm! It was the right thing to do... Wasn't it?

Mind made up, Henry helped Octavia up, and supported her weight as she stumbled down the hallway to the bedroom, "I'm sorry if I'm being a burden to you," she said, and he shook his head quickly. She blushed demurely, "Oh, but not only did I apparently stumble into your abode, but I also have made you uncomfortable. In fact, it is not right for a lady to make her host uncomfortable; it is most unbecoming of a mare such as I!"

As he helped Octavia get beneath the covers, he glanced at the clock. Five Thirty? It was early. He nodded to himself as Octavia relished the feeling of the soft comforter encasing her body.

Henry started moving away, and Octavia called after him, "Where are you going?"

Looking back at her, he mimicked scrubbing his body, to indicate he was going to take a shower.

Octavia nodded and allowed him to continue back to the bathroom. She looked around the bedroom he'd set her in, and chuckled as she saw some familiar, if different, things. Little toys of blue and gold things were lined up like Pegasi before a race on his dresser, while there was a poster of a kitten hanging from a tree branch, with the caption "hang in there!" beneath it. In a scrawling, looping cursive she'd only ever seen Unicorns produce with any style beneath the caption was, "Who will catch me if I fall?"

The room was barren of pictures, for the most part. A few posters, sure, but nothing that shed light on the colt or his family. Octavia tried unsuccessfully to suppress a yawn, "I wonder what his name is," she muttered to herself, before falling asleep in the comfort of his bed.

[hr]

Henry calmly undressed and stepped into the shower, setting the water to a decently warm temperature, enjoying the feeling of it against his body and skin. As he soaped up a sponge and began to clean himself, he thought idly of how he was gonna help the lost girl that stumbled into his home. She didn't even seem to know what she was for goodness sake! _Either she's been taking some serious hallucinogens, or she's telling the truth. And I didn't see a single needle mark on her arm when I helped her down the hallway; nor was she pale and sickly looking like the posters and commercials._

Sighing his frustration out through his nostrils, he stood under the shower and cleansed the suds off him. He bent over and grabbed the shampoo and conditioner, applying it to his shaggy brown hair. Scrubbing his head with his fingers, he calmed down, eyes closing as he softly massaged his scalp.

[hr]

Octavia awoke a few hours later to an amazing smell wafting through the house. She blushed as her stomach grumbled, and she slid off the bed and onto the floor, not trusting her legs to hold her upright as her benefactor's did. Instead, she crawled down the hallway, taking great big whiffs as she went, her mouth watering at the aroma.

When she got to the kitchen, she found the young stallion standing before an oven, a plate being filled with eggs and strips that looked like hay bacon, but a rich brown-red instead of golden-yellow. "What are you making, sir? It smells ever so good." She took another deep breath and 'mmmed' in satisfaction. "One might even say that it smells divine."

Henry had prepared for the question, and pointed towards the open-slate picture-paper thing he'd had the night before. "It's bacon and eggs," it read.

"Oh, I don't think I've ever partook of bacon before. If it tastes as it smells, though, I shall undoubtedly come to like it." Henry smiled and put a couple pieces of bacon onto the plate and put it on the dining room table. Then, without waiting to be asked, he bent down and helped Octavia to her hindlegs, despite the obvious discomfort he had with her being naked. _Am I ugly, perhaps?_ Octavia blushed and thanked him for his help.

"Pardon me for not doing so earlier, but what is your name?" The stallion grabbed his device and erased the words on it before typing more in their place.

"My name is Henry. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Octavia." He held out his hand in greeting which she shook with practiced professional ease.

Octavia smiled, fluttering her eyelashes coquettishly. "My my, what a gentlecolt! But please don't call me 'Miss,' it makes me feel like an old nag and I'll have none of that, I assure you." Octavia looked at the utensils sitting next to her plate and lost her smile. Poking at the fork for a second, she instead leaned down and nibbled at a strip of bacon. "Mmmm!"

Henry made a small noise in the back of his throat, and tapped Octavia on the shoulder to get her to look at his tablet. "Are you enjoying your meal?" he asked, noticing with how much gusto she was eating into it; literally.

Octavia had to say that yes, while it was hard to eat the eggs and bacon with only her mouth is was definitely delicious. "Oh, it's amazing, Henry. Though I must say that I'm a bit embarrassed; I do not think I have the capability to practice correct table manners at this moment in time. I'm..." Octavia grimaced, her blush making the darker expression nonetheless cute. "I am unable to pick up my utensils."

Henry got up abruptly, startling Octavia, and came over to sit by her. He picked up the fork, stabbed at a bit of egg, and held it up for Octavia to eat. Octavia blushed, but ate as prompted. She moaned in delight; these eggs were better than the ones Vinyl sometimes made!

"Mmm, you must be a chef if you can make eggs of all things taste this good!" Henry blushed and shook his head, "No? You just cook as a hobby then, I assume." Henry went to shake his head again, but stopped and instead shrugged.

Putting down Octavia's fork, Henry reached over and grabbed his tablet again. "I have to cook for myself a lot of the time, people don't have the patience to deal with a guy who has to type out everything he wants to say."

"Well, then let me be the one who tells you that you are simply the finest gentlecolt I have met in quite a long time." She sniffed haughtily, "Much better than those stuffy, frou-frou hooligans who consider themselves the 'elite' up in Canterlot. I might be a mare of poise and good manners— when I am capable of exhibiting them— but that does not mean that I enjoy watching a bunch of fat-walleted ponies prance around and fatten themselves further on the fruits of the blue collar ponies of Equestria have worked so hard to accrue, and then get next to nothing for it. It is simply unethical."

Henry let out a small trilling sound at the back of his throat, his eyes sparkling with mirth as he shook from silent laughter. Letting out a small sigh, he picked up Octavia's fork again and helped her to eat once more, before the time came to leave.

"I'm sorry, Octavia, but I must leave you alone at this time. I'll set you up with a pitcher of ice water and some snacks. Would you be more comfortable back in bed, or here in the living room?"

"I'll probably be laying down for the time being if you must leave, so I might rather enjoy the warmth and comfort of your bed." Octavia blushed. "If that's fine by you, of course."

Henry smiled, and helped her up.

[hr]

Henry looked out past the windshield of the Hyundai Elantra GT his father had insisted on gifting him for his birthday, the matte black hood mutely bouncing back light. He drummed a beat on the steering wheel as he drove up the long hill that lead to "Milford Community College." If any words could describe it, contemporary and boat-like would suffice. The building was very wide and consisted of six stories. From the front, the building looked like a ship with large smokestacks, a deck, and a lower level. The young man sighed as he pulled up to a parking space in the back of the campus, quickly grabbing his bag and power walking up the rest of the rather large hill before entering through the side door and heading to his Music Hall class.

As he entered, he avoided making eye contact with any of his classmates and took a seat, hoping that they'd all just ignore him again today. He wondered what Octavia was up to. It'd only been a half an hour since he'd left, but who knew what could happen in such a short amount of time? What if she was injured? What if someone had broken in? What if— "Hey, Mutey Beauty!" called a mocking voice from his side as he took a seat.

[i]_Oh Gods...[/i]_ he thought, [i]_Not him again![/i]_ Henry had a hard time keeping the irritation from showing up on his face.

"Aww, what'sa matter, Mute? I thought you loved hangin' out with me. What was that? Aww, Little Mutey's got a song he wants to sing! Doesn't that sound great, lefty?"

[i]_Oh, great... He's talking to his fists again.[/i] _Henry whimpered to himself. [i]_Why can't he just leave me alone?[/i]_

"Yeah, lefty wants to hear you sing, Mutey, or you're gonna be in a world a hurt. Righty doesn't like it when Lefty gets sad!"

"Keene Tanker, please come up to my desk." Henry visibly relaxed as his teacher, Ms. Reynolds, walked into the room. Keene walked over to the teacher's desk, a small waver in his step. Ms. Reynolds looked Keene up and down, before leaning in slightly and sniffing. "You're drunk. You know the rules, Keene. This is my time as well as your time, and I do _not_ deal with drunks. Please, get out of my class."

Ms. Reynolds walked up to the chalkboard as Keene stumbled out the door, giving the class the finger as he did so. Ms. Reynolds shook her head and sighed as she began the next lesson in music.

"Now, then. Good morning everyone. I'm very glad to see all of you in class today. This week's lesson deals with Clefs, Treble Clefs, and Bass. To get a good musical chord, you need to understand the basic language of music. The octave, pitch, and tone..."

As his teacher droned into another tedious lesson on the differences between a B Minor played in Counter bevel C, or whatever they were called, Henry's thoughts once again slipped away from him, running all the way back home.

[hr]

Octavia snuggled deeper into the comforter, the blanket quickly living up to its name as she relaxed into its deep embrace. She let her eyes drift lazily around the bedroom- Henry's bedroom- as her face lit up with a small smile. [i]_He's got one of those electronic pianos, like Vinyl. I wonder if they enjoy similar music? Yes, I bet Henry and Vinyl would-[/i]_ Octavia sat bolt upright in the bed, panic drowning the smile that had taken residence there only moments before. "Vinyl! Oh, oh dear, how is she taking this? Oh, I really hope she's alright. She... No, of course she's alright, Octavia, haha! Just listen to yourself! This is [i]_Vinyl Scratch[/i]_ we're talking about, the mare who played at Princess Cadance's Royal Wedding, and... And cried when her pet hamster died, and I had had to hold her for hours before she finally slept, and... and oh dear Luna..." Octavia couldn't help it as her eyes began to water. "Vinyl's all alone. She... I was practically the only pony she ever hung out with! I was practically her only friend! I just... I just... No! I didn't abandon her, I... I just need to get back to her, that's all! No big d-deal!" Octavia choked out another sob, trying to stop herself from freaking out. "N-no big deal at all..."

Octavia looked at the clock as the minute changed silently, the letters glowing a soft red that was oh-so close to her friend's eyes. [i]_I'll find a way back, Vinyl... I promise.[/i]_

[hr]

"Can anyone answer my question?" His music history teacher asked as he paced the front of the class. "How about you Mr. Westñaire?" He asked. The teacher wouldn't normally call on him, but he was, at this point, the [i]_only[/i] _ student not paying attention.

Henry paid him no mind as he distractedly wrote sheet music in his notebook, trying not to get too worried over how Octavia was doing in regards to coping with her situa—

A frustrated sigh caught his attention as he looked at his teacher's rather annoyed scowl. "I know that you cannot speak, Mister Westñaire, but I had assumed that you could still hear," his teacher remarked snidely, much to the amusement of the class as Henry sunk lower in his chair in an attempt to hide the embarrassment clear on his face.

As soon as the class let out, he waited for everyone to leave before trying to make a beeline for the door when a cough stopped him.

"Mr. Westñaire, I sincerely hope you'll be paying more attention from now on if you don't want your grade in this class to slip." he warned.

Henry gave him a curt nod and hurried out through a side corridor towards the back exit, hoping not to run into anyone as he made his way to his car before driving home.

[hr]

As Henry walked into his home, he set his bag down on the table by the door and walked into the living room, hanging his hoodie up on the coat rack. Walking into the kitchen, he grabbed himself a glass of water, and then noticed how eerily quiet it was. Once he polished off his his glass, he set it down on the counter and quietly walked upstairs into his room to find Octavia sprawled out on his bed shaking, a barely audible sniffling escaping her.

He took off his shoes and approached her, softly pulling her into a hug as he laid down next to her; looking at her worriedly.

Octavia sniffed as she buried her head into the cusp of his shoulder, keening slightly as she instinctively tried to whinny with vocal chords not meant to do so. "I-I'm sorry, Henry, I-I am extremely sorry, I do not know what has c-come over m-me," Octavia said shakily, her voice raspy like a leaf brushing against stone.

Henry rubbed her back soothingly, and pulled out his smartphone, typing out a message on it. "It's alright, Octavia. I'd probably be just as bad if not worse if I was thrown into an unfamiliar environment." He gave her a light squeeze, humming softly as he rocked her back and forth. He quickly typed in another line of text on his smartphone. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Octavia nodded,rubbing at her eyes with the back of her fetlock. "Y-yes, o-of course. Well, a little while after you'd left, I was looking around your room, and your keyboard reminded me of a dear friend of mine, my roommate, Vinyl Scratch. She's a DJ, always working with some new electronic tune or another. She looks so strong up on stage, but when she's not wearing her shades, she's... naked. And I don't mean that she's not wearing clothes; only aristoponies wear clothes with any regularity. No, I mean that her tough, party-hard exterior just melts away, leaving a young mare who can't stand to see the bad parts in life." Octavia sniffed, giggling as a memory scampered through her mind.

"I'd gotten her a hamster for her birthday one year, and she loved that little fuzzball. She had one of those pet balls she'd put him in, and she'd go out for walks with him, levitating him whenever he started getting tired. She never let him miss a meal, he was always in good health. Which is why, when he died, it was that much worse for Vinyl. It took her hours of crying and apologizing to me before she finally found sleep. I stayed with her every night for a week."

Octavia rubbed at her eyes again."Then, she pulled out the shades, and DJ Pon-3 was… 'in the house,' as she said, and Vinyl was once again locked behind a wall of uncaring happiness and alcohol. She never drank without her shades, only ever drank with them, whether she was wearing them or not, they had to be close at hoof before she'd drink."

Henry cradled her in his arms as he continued to rock her back and forth, gently humming a tune; her panic becoming tired mumblings, his gentle motions soon carrying her into a deep sleep. Laying her out on the bed, he pulled the covers over her, parting her bangs to place a soft kiss on her forehead before grabbing himself a pillow and blanket. Slowly tiptoeing out of the room, he went to the living room and made himself comfortable on the couch, wrapping the blanket around him. Soon after, he was embraced by a dreamless sleep.


	2. S1 Episode 2: Walk and Talk This Way

**Chapter 2: Walk and Talk This Way**

It had been four days since Octavia had shown up out of the blue, claiming to be a pony. Even since, she'd not once claimed anything different, so Henry had finally accepted that, to his amusement, he had an alien being in his apartment. To say it had been dull would be an understatement. To say it had returned to normal would be laughable.

[hr]

Octavia flexed her hooves after adjusting the black shirt and jeans he had lent her. "I have to stay, having these digits on my hooves is certainly an advantage," she commented idly as they sat down on the living room couch.

Henry typed out a quick message on the smaller slate he carried on his person at all times. "They're called hands. The digits are fingers."

"... Hands? Not hooves? Oh, that will be such a hard thing to get used to. And fingers? Bah."

He flashed her a small smile. "Sorry about that, Octavia. Hooves are on equines. Hands are the human equivalent."

"Ugh, boorish, overly-complicated language systems. Why can you not just use Equestrian terminology? Everypony and everything learns to speak Equestrian; from the smallest griffon to the biggest dragon."

Henry patted her back as he typed a response with one hand. "I wouldn't quite know that. You haven't told me much about your world, but our world has its own set of standards."

Octavia rolled her eyes and groaned softly. "I would like to ask you this myself before my stomach does it for me. What is for breakfast?"

The young man tapped his chin as he hummed to himself in contemplation before typing, "How about some cheese omelets with coffee milk?"

"Coffee... milk?"

Henry nodded. "You have coffee... that is milk." Henry nodded again, grinning as he followed it with a shrug.

Octavia jerked her head upwards, her forelegs not far behind. "Ugh! You people are crazier than Pinkie's Positively Puzzling Pineapricot Pudding!" She slumped against Henry as her right hindleg spasmed. "Yes, yes... it sounds wonderful. Can we eat now, please?"

The mute man laughed silently as he heard her stomach grumble hungrily. He looped his arm around her and helped her to her hind hooves, steering her into the kitchen and onto her favorite seat across from him.

Octavia [i]_hmphed[/i]_ as she sat down, adjusting her shirt sleeves again. "Fine, then. Let us try this... [i]_Coffee milk[/i]_."

Henry dutifully grabbed a carton of the drink in question and brought it over to the table, pouring a glass for both of them before returning to the kitchen and flicking on the stove. Grabbing a somewhat large pot, he opened the flip lid on it and added water, opening the bottom half like a lid and adding in the grounded coffee; placing it on the stove once it was ready.

Minutes later the coffee pot began to boil as Henry quickly grabbed it and poured into their glasses, filling them up decently before placing it back on the stove. He grabbed the sugar jar and a teaspoon and added a couple of teaspoons to each glass before mixing it in and returning the jar back to its place. Sliding over a glass to Octavia; Henry took his seat and held his with both hands.

Octavia eyed her drink suspiciously before bending over and taking a tentative sip. It wasn't as hot as she'd expect it to be; it was, in fact, fairly cold from the milk he'd mixed it with. "Mmm? Mm!" She happily took another slurp of it, forgetting her manners momentarily as she enjoyed one of her favorite drinks in a new way. "My, it's not as sweet as I like my coffee, but neither is it as hot! Oh, I bet Forte would enjoy this as much as I do!"

Henry smirked, typing a quick question onto his hoo-er, [i]_hand[/i]_-slate. "Forte?"

"Yes, that's what we call our pianist. I'm a part of a quartet that plays at concerts all the time in Canterlot. I play the Cello; Forte is on the piano; CrystalClef is our tuba player, and Lute plays the harp."

The human chuckled quietly at the names of her bandmates. "And let me guess, Bass is the group bassist who can play any instrument capable of producing a halfway decent bass sound?" he typed onto his slate with a roll of his eyes.

Octavia's eyes narrowed. "No; I was the bassist." Henry's eyes boggled as he tried to type out an apology. Octavia turned away from the proffered device. "No. Apologise to my stomach, first. It has been quite moody, since you have not provided sustenance yet."

Henry got out of his seat and kneeled in front of Octavia, clasping his hands together as he gave her the biggest, wettest puppy-dog eyes he could manage.

Try as she might, Octavia could not keep from giggling, as she pushed at his head. "Stop, please! Heehee, Ooohhh..." After the moment of mirth was over, Octavia adopted a faux cold glare. "Make. Us. Food. Now. [i]Please[/]_,_" she said as her stomach growled.

Henry nervously gulped and hurried into the kitchen, the smile he bore now nervous instead of cheeky. He quickly began working away at their relatively simple breakfast.

Hurriedly he beat the eggs and began to fry them on the large pan, adding pieces of different kinds of cheese every now and then before carefully folding each omelet as he finished; adding it to the large plate he had set aside.

The moment he finished, Henry scurried to the fridge and put anything he didn't need away before grabbing two plates, balancing them with one hand while grabbing the larger plate and setting them down on the table. WIthout question, he served her first and sat down, carefully grabbing his own portions as he still looked down at the ground.

Octavia sat there, watching the young stallion squirm with something akin to fear. [i]_Why would he be afraid? Had she... she hadn't meant... Ohhh, parsnips.[/i] _"Henry..?"

Henry jerked his head halfway up, before pulling it back down again. Yes, he was definitely not happy to have been glared at like that. "Oh, Henry... I- I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." Henry's shoulders slumped and he looked at his plate and twiddled his thumbs.

"Henry, look at me, please." Henry didn't comply, instead just sitting there stiffly. "Henry," Octavia said with a hint of steel entering her voice. "Come over here."

Without hesitation, Henry immediately got up and approached her, shoulders shaking slightly, hands clamping nervously as he felt his anxiety tighten his chest, leaving him nearly breathless.

"Please, lean over."

Henry stiffly sat on his knees next to her, not looking up. Octavia pushed herself out of her chair, throwing herself atop him as she hugged him. "I'm sorry, Henry," she said softly as she started sniffling, rubbing her cheek against his as she tightened her grip as much as possible. "I didn't mean to get snappy, I'm normally not much of a morning person. I guess that's why Vinyl Scratch and I got along despite our major differences; neither of us got up in the morning." She brushed his hair away from his face and gave him a small kiss on the forehead. "You're my friend, Henry, and my being snippy every now and then is something you'll have to get used to; I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

_[i]Friend...[/i] _He thought as she kissed his forehead, eyes going wide in shock before he shook strongly as he tried to control his breathing, but failing, tears wetting her cheek as he felt relief wash over him. He had a number of acquaintances, sure, a few he might even consider friends, but they never really hung out; spent time together. Even though he had mostly been helping her walk, he'd spent more time with Octavia in the few days he'd known her than he had with some of his other friends in the past month.

Several minutes passed before Henry calmed himself, taking in deep, slow breaths.

"Feeling better?" Henry nods, sniffing and clearing his throat as he helped Octavia into her seat. "Good, now teach me how to hold my fork, I'm starving and drained from all this morning drama."

Henry smiled, and picked up Octavia's fork and her hand, putting the former in the latter as he began his silent lesson. Slowly he taught at what angles to hold her utensils and how to cut into her food before allowing her try.

Almost immediately, she managed to spill her plate on her self. Henry smiled as Octavia muttered curses under her breath. _[i]This will be fun.[/i]_

[hr]

Octavia wavered, trying to keep her balance and whispering encouragements to herself. "Alright Octavia, steady now... Steady..." Her leg collapsed beneath her, causing her to squeal involuntarily as she began to fall.

She didn't fall far, instead landing against Henry, who grunted but held her tightly until she could regain her hoofing. "I'm sorry for making you go through all this trouble," she muttered into his shoulder.

Octavia gasped as Henry smacked her lightly on the head. Not hard enough to hurt, only enough to get her attention. Pulling out his small scroll-slate, Henry tapped at it with his furthest out digit on his hoof before holding it so she could read. "Stop worrying! If anything, I should be apologizing to you. It's not every day a beautiful woman is willing to let me hold her, no matter the reason why."

Octavia looked up with a blush, looking into Henry's warm, honest eyes. [i]_He's been so nice already,[/i] _Octavia thought to herself. [i]_Most stallions only put up with a mare long enough to get under their tail, but Henry is acting like a true gentlecolt.[/i]_ "Thank you, Henry," Octavia whispered hoarsely as she was overcome with a mixture of emotions. She leaned in and gave Henry a quick peck on the cheek, giggling as he blushed and wavered, almost falling down with her before he steadied himself against the wall.

He made a small squeaking noise in the back of his throat. Octavia giggled again and pressed close, nuzzling him. "You're a good friend, Henry. Most ponies are upstanding citizens, but even in a society where sunshine and rainbows are the norm, there can always be found that odd deplorable character." Octavia let go of Henry slowly as she shifted on her rear hooves, trying to balance herself again. "I am glad that you are not one of those."

She took a few steps forward, building up a steady momentum, until her left leg twitched, causing her to fall once more into Henry's waiting arms. "Ohhh, now if only my legs were as dependable as you!" Henry couldn't help the small sound of laughter that spilled forth, or the smile that pulled on muscles long without use. Octavia laughed as well after a moment of mock indignation, failing to see how her life could go wrong.

"Henry! Get your silent ass out here, we need to talk!"

Said mute squeaked nervously as he quickly typed on his slate. "Its my landlord!" he wrote rather jumpily. Practically flying into the living room, Henry sat Octavia on the couch, gave her a crazed, panicked look, and disappeared towards the front door. [i]_Oh God, not this, not now! I don't want Octavia to meet_[/i]this[i]_ guy!_[/i] Gulping, he hurried to the door and flashed a nervous smile to his landlord.

"What took ya so long, boy? Ya gone deaf on me too? Well, it's a good thing I know sign language, heh heh..." Henry meeped as his landlord got right into his face, eyes blazing like angered volcanoes. "I. Want. My. Money, boy."

Octavia, squirmed, whoever her friend was talking to, whoever this landlord was, he was not very nice. Glaring at her legs and willing them to heed her wishes, she started shuffling towards the door, leaning against the couch and other objects when she couldn't quite keep her balance.

Henry felt as if he was gonna sweat to death when he felt a hand move him behind his guest protectively. "Excuse me,[i] _sir,_[/i]" Octavia said in a firm and clipped tone as she leaned against the doorframe, "but you are accosting my friend, and I don't take kindly to others treating my friends like[i] _glue[/i] _factory[i]_ rejects_.[/i]"

The man glared at her and pointed a finger at Henry. "It's the eighth of the goddamn month and he was suppose to pay [i]_me[/i]_ by the [i]_fifth,_[/i]" he growled angrily.

"Oh yes, and that [i]_obviously_[/i] means that you can just go braying away like some old mule who got the stick one too many times! Henry, I know that you took mail with you when you left this morning, did you, by any chance, drop off your pay?"

With a whimper, Henry nodded slightly, body still tensed with fright, his chest rising and lowering quickly as he tried to keep his eyes dead on his landlord. Quickly, he typed a response. "I went to drop the my check off and it's all set to be transferred to your account before the end of the day. Just like always!"

The man growled before looking at Octavia again, and grunting in defeat. "Fine, it'd better be there, and if your girlfriend's gonna be living here too, I'm adding a hunnerd dollars to your rent." As his landlord lumbered away, Henry could faintly hear him say "Fuckin' bitch," before he turned around the corner, and out of sight. Henry released a breath he hadn't noticed he'd been holding and helped Octavia back to the couch, where she sat leaning against him.

"Henry, who was that awful man?"

He merely sighed and tried to collect his thoughts as he began to slowly type on his slate. "That's my miserable landlord who finds all this hate in his heart to just bother me constantly and complain about stupid shit."

"Really? Why do you let him bully you so much?"

Another moment of silence ensued, as Henry typed, his fingers tapping lightly against the glass slate. "Well... This was the only place in town that'd take a person like me."

"That's absurd! There has to be somepony out there who would be nice enough to actually be [i]_nice[/i]_ to you!"

"Someone you mean?" he corrected on his slate before continuing. "A lot of people don't want to "deal" with a mute person, because they all assume I'm going to somehow exploit that and get leeway with everything. That or sue them over frivolous bullshit and win on the grounds that I'm handicapped." He explained as thoroughly as he understood it, sighing in frustration.

Octavia shifted absently, laying down with her head in his lap, like she would with Vinyl. "That's absurd! That's like saying I'd sue a unicorn because I don't have a horn!" she looked up at him, a hand on her forehead as she stared at him with exasperation. "Do you not understand how absurd that is? Completely so!"

Henry looked down at her, his hand absentmindedly running through her long, silky smooth hair as he typed one handed. "I do understand... Its just... You know..."

"Know what?" Henry shrugged and made a circular motion with his hand. She shook her head no and waited for him to continue.

"Humans are... well, we're pretty much assholes." He typed, shrugging his shoulders. "There's no real way around it to be frank. A lot of people tend to discriminate in this country over special needs or being handicapped in any sort of way."

Octavia groaned, massaging her forehead with her hoo— [i]_hands[/i]._ They're hands. Ugh. "Why must humans be so overly complicated, Henry? Ponies only got this convoluted when you were dealing with the more uppity nobles. And as for handicaps, there aren't all that many, maybe one bout of cancer or a pegasus with disproportioned wings. There's not much that [i]_can't[/i]_ be fixed with a little magic."

Henry looked away sadly, typing slowly on his slate. "Anyway it can bring back someone I lo—" He quickly erased the message, not allowing her to see the screen.

"Someone you... lost? Well, there are plenty of spells for tracking a pony down, but... I don't have magic; I'm just your average earth pony."

"Forget about it; It's nothing." He wrote, waving his hand dismissively. Getting back up, he quickly wrote. "How about that walking exercise? Lets see how you do on your own." Henry held out his hand, letting Octavia take it and pull herself up onto her feet.

Holding one hand aloft, Octavia shook the appendage at the ceiling. "I swear, I'll get this down in no time, Henry!" Octavia's stomach gurgled, causing her to deflate. "Once I've mastered holding a fork..."

Henry squeaked in laughter, holding his sides as she blushed a faint crimson. "We'll pick up on your walking training when you get eating down." He typed out, chirring playfully.

Sticking her nose in the air with an indignant huff, Octavia took two steps forward before promptly falling against Henry, and pointing towards the kitchen. "C'mon, now, Henry. Be a dear and walk me to the dining room. I shan't make my poor tummy wait a second longer, else I may start eating the begonias."

His eyes crinkled with mirth as he allowed her to use him as a cane of sorts and sat her down once again in the kitchen. He took a seat next to her and wrote on his slate once again.

"Anything specific, you'd like?"

"Not particularly, no. I might enjoy a salad or some daffodil soup, if you have it."

"How about tomato soup, and grilled cheese sandwiches?"

"Yes, that sounds delightful!" Henry smiled and got up. [i]_Time to bust out the Campbell's_[/i].

Going up to the cabinets, he opened one near the microwave and pulled two cans of tomato soup along with two big white bowls, using a can opener he always kept beside it to open them and pour the thick cold soup into the bowls. He grabbed some paper towels and folded them nicely, placing them on top of the bowls before putting them in for the microwave; dialing it in for several minutes as he strolled over to the fridge, grabbing butter and swiss cheese. He then grabbed the bread from the pantry.

Henry took a little butter and put it in a small sauce pan to get it lightly greased, before buttering up one side of each slice of bread. Once the pan was ready, he placed a slice of bread butter-side down into it, adding the swiss cheese, and then another bread slice butter-side up. He placed the pan's lid over the sandwich, and turned to check on the soup. Seeing that it was going as fine as ever, he went back to the fridge with the cheese and butter in tow, putting them away before pulling out a 2 Liter of Sprite. Grabbing two cups from the cupboard, he returned with them to the table, pouring himself and Octavia each a glass.

After setting out the drinks, he returned to the stove, flipping the sandwich with an expert flick of his wrist when it had cooked long enough on one side, leaving it a golden brown. Letting it cook on the other side, he continued cooking and walking back to check on his friend.

When the soup and sandwiches were finally done, Henry sat down beside Octavia, refilled her glass, and picked up half a sandwich and dipped it in his soup. "Ugh, why are you eating like that? Is it not more refined to eat with one's spoon?"

Smirking, Henry pulled out his slate and began typing, even as he continued to eat. "Grilled cheese sandwiches and soup can be eaten separately, sure, but when put together it just tastes better. And really, refinement is for people that have the money to get others to yell for them instead of at them," he chastized playfully, flicking her nose and sticking his tongue out at her.

Puffing her cheeks out as she blushed, her eyes narrowed with anger, she picked up her sandwich, dipped it into the soup, and took a bite. And another. And then a third. "Mmmm!" After she'd eaten half her meal in this way, she finally noticed that Henry was convulsing, tears streaming down his face as he laughed, completely silent but for the odd gasp or squeak.

"Oh, stop laughing, you cretin. And I thought you were a gentlecolt, as well! Looks like you're no better than the rest of humankind." Henry shrugged, smiling widely as he shook off the last of his laughs and began eating again.

Octavia ate in relative silence before she returned her gaze at him. "Despite being such a cretin, I would like to thank you for the wonderful meal, Henry."

Henry smiled softly, waving a hand in a dismissive gesture. Finishing up the last of his soup, Henry took his and Octavia's dishes and put them in the dishwasher after giving them a quick rinse so they wouldn't stain. Finished in the kitchen, he flicked off the light, helped Octavia to her feet, and helped her walk down the hall towards his bedroom.

Octavia snuggled into the covers, sighing softly as Henry started towards the door, pillow and blanket in hand. "Henry..." He turned around, an inquisitive look on his face. "Would you mind sleeping in here? I... I've been feeling rather depressed, and somewhat angry for the past day or so. Vinyl used to hold me when I got distressed, and sometimes sing to me. I was wondering... I-if it wouldn't be a bother, of course..."

Henry smiled slightly, a blush coloring his cheeks as he pulled the covers aside and slipped in next to her. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around Octavia, and she surprised him by almost crushing the life out of him in return, before relaxing her grip. "Thank you, Henry... You're a good friend, for a cretin."


	3. S1 Episode 3: Fatty Animal Products

**Chapter 3: Fatty Animal Products**

It was raining heavily in Milford as Henry drove through the empty downtown district with Octavia on a chilly Sunday morning. The pony-turned-human leaned quietly against the window, staring at the dreary scene outside. Although she was fascinated by the amazing structures that seemed to surpass the architectural powerhouse that was the industrious city of San Flankcisco, the rain disserviced the beauty of their design. Slowly, he pulled up a side street on North Main Avenue, pushing the car up a steep hill and into a narrow side street that opened up to a large parking lot. He pulled into the lot and found a parking spot towards the side door of the home-sized cafe, gathering his things before cutting the engine. "You ready to go?" He asked, the question prewritten on his slate. Octavia answered with a nod.

Octavia stuck an umbrella outside the door, opening it with a muffled [i]_poomf_[/i] as she ducked beneath it before she could get too wet. After locking the car, Henry joined her beneath the small awning and they made all due haste towards the cafe's doorway.

"Ugh, this weather is dreadful. Are your weather teams really so terrible they can't even keep it sunny for even a week, as promised?"

A waitress walked by and chuckled in their direction. "The Milford Weather Stations aren't the best at reporting accurate weather, but they sure do try their darndest to be professional."

"Report..? Why not just control the weather?"

She laughed. "If only! I'd have more fun taking photos with my boyfriend instead of getting caught up in this horrible Autumn weather." She said before attending a customer and leaving them to their own devices.

Octavia slumped into a booth, Henry sitting on the opposite side. "I don't understand," Octavia muttered. "You just let the weather be as it is wont? Who controls the day cycle? I'm guessing nopony."

Henry gave her a small smile as he typed on his slate. "We can't control the weather so we let it be. As for the day cycle, well, that's handled by the celestial bodies and the rotation of the Earth. Do try to remember not to use words common in your society just to prevent any problems."

"Ugh, fine. no_[i]body[/i]_ controls the weather. No_[i]body[/i]_ controls the sun, nor the moon. They're all just willy-nilly, and I'm a silly filly. I get it." Octavia groaned as she planted her head on the table.

A loud squeaking erupted from his throat as he smiled widely, patting her back softly; writing one handed on his slate. "I guess you are a silly filly, 'Tavi. Don't ya worry about it though, you'll get the hang of things soon enough."

Octavia gave Henry a small, grateful smile as the waitress returned, notepad in hand. "So, what'll it be for you two today?" She asked, her smile widening as her eyes narrowed flirtishly. "The couple's treat, perhaps?"

Octavia sat up, ramrod straight, a deep blush kissing her cheeks as she spluttered. "I-I-I- Henry!" She looked at Henry over the table, her eyes shimmering as her lower lip trembled cutely.

Henry just sat there laughing silently, body shaking as tears of mirth streamed down his face. Picking up his slate once again, he typed out— as quickly as he could— "No, that's alright. We were thinking something along the lines of a latte. Maybe some eggs and french toast."

"Oh, no problem you two. Do you want to know today's special?"

He nodded his head in agreement while Octavia nodded, not quite looking at him as she leaned her head into her hand; trying futilely to hide her blush.

"Our special for this morning is the pancake puppy love— such a silly name, but it sells— and with that comes a stack of four pancakes, three strips of bacon, biscuits and gravy, and a slice of toast or an english muffin. I'm sure that a growing man like you could use a hearty meal like that," The waitress offered with a twirl of her strawberry blonde hair and a small wink.

Henry blushed and looked at her with a shy smile before typing on his slate. "Would you like the special, Octavia?" he asked, holding the slate in front of her as she distractedly stared off into space.

Octavia blinked, and looked at the slate between two of her fingers, her eye flicking across the sentence quickly before she gave a small nod. [i]_I really should ask what bacon is... Better to do that in private, though; I don't wish to make a scene.[/i]_

He quickly wrote on it. "We'll both have the special. Could we get some orange juice and coffee milk with that, please?"

"OJ and coffee milk... Okie Dokie! I'll get that right away!"

Before she left, Henry tugged on her sleeve, writing something. "Thanks for the warm welcome, Tara." He wrote, a cheery smile on his face.

"Not a problem, Henry. You're one of our best customers!"

As the waitress wandered off, humming along to the radio, Octavia gave Henry a curious look. "Best customer?"

Henry shrugged, hitting one of his pre-written responses. "This is the only place in town that doesn't make me feel bad for being mute."

Octavia smiled. "As long as you feel welcomed here, then so will I. Goddesses know we all need to find someplace where we can be who we are."

"Not too much of yourself though, my little pony girl," Henry typed while giving Octavia a cheeky grin. "This is a world where magic is make-believe, talking animals a myth, and where everything is always the President's fault."

Her head tilted in curiosity. "Is the President the equivalent of our Princesses?"

Henry shrugged. "He doesn't have singular control, no. Laws and stuff have to go through Congress first."

"Ugh, sounds like a lot of time and resources are wasted, then. We've spent the last thousand years under the rule of a single monarch. Princess Celestia has always been kind and fair in judgement, even going so far as to return her sister to her rightful throne after being banished for those same thousand years."

He looked at her in disbelief. "One of the princesses was banished for a [i]_thousand_[/i] years? What could she have possibly done to provoke such a punishment? Was it high treason?"

"High treason!" Octavia snorted. "No, she tried to keep the Sun from rising ever again. The ponies were suffering beneath the cold night, a night that lasted a month. Crops were dying, ponies were freezing, the world was almost torn asunder from the frigid night air. Once Celestia had finally weakened Her sister, Luna... Nightmare Moon... She locked Her sister away in the moon. When Nightmare Moon returned, she almost succeeded in bringing the world to eternal darkness. That night lasted only for an extra 15 hours compared to normal, and it's all thanks to six young mares who each held a certain Element of Friendship and Harmony in their hearts. I was not one of those six, but I am friends with one... technically."

Henry cocked an eyebrow and typed out "technically?" on his slate.

"Yes. I'm cousins with the Element of Laughter... Pinkie Pie. She's a dear, but... you know how hyperactive some can get..."

"Ah... a party animal?"

"Hmmph. Yes, though to her parties are no laughing matter."

As Henry nodded sagely to this, Tara walked up with a smile, carrying their food. "Here you go, you two! And don't you worry about it, Henry! Your discount extends to all guests, [i]_especially_[/i] if they're cute!" She gushed, giggling as Octavia flushed a deep red.

"T-thank you..." Octavia stuttered, thoroughly embarrassed; her bangs fell over her eyes as Tara went back to work.

Henry silently chuckled, pouring syrup on both her pancakes and his before cutting into his greedily, albeit civilly.

"That's [i]_not_[/i] fair, really. I'm not cute..." Henry looked up in surprise. Octavia didn't think she was cute? "I mean just look at my arms! They're so... so... [i]_spindly!_[/i] My legs are barely able to hold my weight, and my chest is horribly imbalanced; I'm not so simple-minded to not recognize breasts, but why must they be so _big?_ I'm not even in heat, so there's no rhyme or reason to it!"

"You're not used to being human is all, 'Tavi." Henry wrote on his slate, offering her a supportive smile.

"Women shouldn't be so skinny, though. It's disgusting and unhealthy. I need to bulk up quite a bit to get back to how I used to be."

Henry looked at her worriedly. "How much do you define "bulk up" as?" he typed.

"I need to weigh at [i]_least_[/i] two hundred pounds, maybe even three hundred; I'll need to find a gym to start working my muscles again, and I'll need to start a vitamin regimen again." Octavia sighed, taking a bite out of her food. "I really hate taking vitamins, they leave a lot to be desired."

His eyes bugged out, and he nearly choked on his food. He madly typed away on his slate before holding it out to her in near hysteria. "Are you mad, 'Tavi!? You weigh at least one-twenty to one-fifty pounds! Any more, and you could be jeopardizing your health!"

"Whah? Jeopardizing my health, hmm? Ugh, I suppose it's another of those 'human' things I'll need to get used to." She glared at her plate, snagging a piece of bacon in her hand and biting into it. "Guess I'll be even [i]_weaker[/i]_ than [i]_normal._[/i] Earth ponies can buck hard enough to knock down trees! I could barely keep a mugger off of me, even after bucking him in the underbelly."

Henry looked down at his plate, contemplating a follow up as he half-heartedly typed on his slate. "I'm sorry that you feel that way...I uh, didn't mean to make you upset. If it's of any encouragement, why don't you try working out and practicing martial arts? I'm positive it could help you with your issue."

"Martial Arts? My last teacher was a pegasus, and he kept on getting way too friendly. Should have seen it coming, since his name was Win Wang."

Burying his fist in his mouth, Henry silently laughed hard, tears sliding down his cheeks at the cruel irony while he typed a response. "W-why... don't you try another... form?"

"What, like Tie-Quan-Moo? Or Kenda? Or maybe an adapted form of Wing Tsun?"

Henry only laughed as he made the connections from Octavia's versions, and the versions he knew.

Octavia went back to eating, not noticing that she was holding her utensils perfectly with nary a spasm in her mood.

The mute man chuckled quietly at her progress. [i]_She's getting better,_[/i] he thought to himself. [i]_But once she's ready to head out on her own... Will she want to stay with someone like me?[/i]_

[hr]

Henry pulled out his keys, unlocking the door as Octavia hummed a few stanzas she could recall from a concerto she'd performed at some point, when a thought flashed into her mind. "Henry," she asked as he opened the door. "What's bacon made of? It doesn't seem to be hay like bacon is in my world."

Henry weighed his options, thinking about her potentiality to freak out if he didn't phrase his next statement the right way. He picked up his laptop, fiddling with it to buy him extra time to think.

Octavia sat down on his bed as he looked busily at his laptop by his desk. "Henry?"

He raised his hand, signaling her to wait a moment as he carefully typed a response, feeling a lump forming in his throat as he nervously turned the screen hinge to face her.

Octavia read the words on the screen. "'Do you have pigs on your world?' Yes; I've met a few who were among the elite in Canterlot, they always made sure to leave a good-sized tip after a concert. As Vinyl would say, their wallets were the fattest part of them." Octavia's eyes stop shimmering in reminiscence as she turns a questioning gaze to Henry. "Why do you ask?"

"Well...uh..." he wrote nervously, thinking it over. "Here, on our planet... I told you how Humans are the only species that speak, right?"

"Yes..." Octavia was still wondering about that. [i]_Only one sapient species, no magic... how do they survive?[/i]_

"Well, humans... since we don't have other creatures here that we can speak to, we instead make use of other animals for food... Bacon is an animal byproduct from pigs." Henry winced, wondering if blunt honesty was really the best way to go about explaining the food she had taken a liking towards.

"Y-you mean..." The look on her face was an indication that he had been right.

Henry gulped, nodding slowly. He drew in a deep breath, bracing himself for the screaming and shrieking he was expecting, but instead only received a small whimper. "H-henry, please... I need a h-hug..." Numbly, Henry complied, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close as she shook, not really crying, but still in need of comforting.

[i]_Her hair smells nice... She's just been using my shower stuff, so why does hers smell nice?[/i]_ Henry shook the sudden thought out of his head, deciding that it was worth putting before the girl who he was trying to comfort. Nudging her so she would look up, he showed the text he'd typed out, and she gave a small, choked laugh, wiping at her eyes.

"Dummy. You're a big dummy, Henry. And... I adore you for that." She nuzzled her face against his chest, sighing as her strength began draining away.

Henry laid her down in bed, not even thinking about it this time. It was obvious she needed comforting, and he'd provide it. After tucking her in gently, he began running his hand through her hair, humming softly as her breathing became regular, and deeper, until she was finally fast asleep. Getting up, he, turned off the light, and quietly made his way to the couch. They'd talk about it in the morning, he decided. If she decided she wasn't comfortable eating meat products, then he wouldn't buy any more. And on that note, Henry fell asleep.


	4. S1 Episode 4: Holiday Blues

**Chapter 4: Holiday Blues**

Octavia walked with her arm looped around Henry's as they walked through the "Parking Garage" as the mute man had called it. A large pair of windowed doors glew in the distance as they approached them. Before she could make an attempt to open the door, they slid apart automatically with a near quiet hiss, startling her so bad, that she nearly tripped over herself.

"What is that!?" She yelled in surprise, lucky enough that no one other than Henry heard her.

"That's an automatic door. It's controlled by pneumatic pumps, or compressed air. That's what causes the slight hissing." he explained with his slate, covering his mouth as he tried not to laugh.

She nervously wrapped her arm around his and approached the entrance, gasping in surprise at the sheer size of the mall and all the floors above it that lead to a large skylight that seemed to cover the entire ceiling. As they walked forward, she froze up again when she noticed the odd stair-like contraption. A tap on her shoulder brought her out of her shock.

"They're escalators; pretty much automatic stairs." Was all his slate said as he gave her a small smile and stepped onto it as a demonstration, the escalator carrying him upwards.

Octavia hurriedly climbed on and caught up to him, her squeeze on his arm noticeably tightening as they ascended onto the main floor of the mall, people walking in all directions. People of different taste, culture, and race all interacting with one another in unique and exciting ways that made her head spin until Henry gently shook her.

Holding up his slate she read, "I know it's a lot to take in...just take it a step a time, 'Tavi."

[i]_A step at a time,[/i] _she thought. Nodding to herself, Octavia took a tentative step towards a store with numerous pictures of malnourished humares in differing outfits, the only correlation being how little the outfits covered.

His face coloring a bit, Henry gently pushed Octavia away from Victoria's Secret. That was a store for a different day, after she could dress herself fully on her own. Looking about, he looked for something else to keep her entertained with when he noticed the pet store he went by every now and then. Tugging on her arm, he pointed towards the store, and they walked over.

[hr]

"Oh, they're so cute!" Henry smiled to himself as Octavia busied herself with scratching a kitten behind its ears, cooing at its cute purring and high-pitched mews.

Other kittens in the litter pawed adorably at the glass, each one begging for attention and a new home. Henry however, was playing with a German Shepherd pup who eagerly wagged its tail at a game of peek-a-boo.

Snapping his fingers, Henry pointed at the ground, and the dog sat down. Snapping again, and splaying his hand out horizontally got the dog to lay down. Henry petted the dog happily; this dog was extremely well trained... and well out of his price range. Especially now that he had someone else to take care of. Gazing at it longingly, he scratched the pup's jawline and smiled as he licked his hand softly, as though acknowledging him as his master.

"He's a cutie, ain't he?" an employee asked as she approached him. The first thing he noticed was the smirk on her pink lips, her long brown hair pulled into a high ponytail, the familiar farmer-like employee outfit the staff had and her chocolate brown eyes crinkling in mirth.

Henry smiled as she stood next to him. "Hello, Jackie." He wrote on his slate.

"How ya been holdin' up, friend?" Jackie asked cheerfully, brushing aside a stray lock of her dark brown hair.

"Pretty good. Found a girl screaming unintelligibly in my bathroom, and I wasn't hung over."

"Oh, so 'Ah have competition now, hmm?" Jackie punched Henry in the shoulder playfully, leaning back on her heels as Octavia came over, at least three kittens hanging onto her as her deep purple eyes sparkling under the soft fluorescent lights.

"Henry, they're so cuuuute!" The southern lady chuckled to herself as Henry blushed, another kitten poking its head out from in Octavia's long hair, mewling contentedly. "Can we take one home? Or all of them? Please? Pretty please?"

Henry shifted uncomfortably on the balls of his feet, not making any attempt to stop his new friend. Jackie placed a supportive hand on his shoulder and spoke up. "Wull, he's been eyein' that there pup since he first got here, almost four months ago. Ain't seen 'im in here for almost two months, though. That pup's been trained by the best, but enough about me. Wha's yer name, Miss?"

"Oh, my name's Octavia, uh..." Octavia blushed a bit as she tentatively raised a hand.

"Y'all can call me Jackie, 'Tavi!" Jackie grabbed Octavia's outstretched hand in a grip almost as strong as diamond was hard, and shook fast enough that surely it caused an earthquake... or maybe that was just Octavia. " It's always a pleasure t' meet one of Cutie Mutie's friends!" Jackie gave Henry a wink and an elbow to the ribs, causing him to scowl, even as his face flushed in embarrassment.

"Oh," Octavia brought her hoo-hands to her mouth, covering a squeal. "Are you two a couple? You _do_ look so cute together!" Jackie flushed and scuffed the ground with one of her boots- actually, she was only wearing one; the other foot had on a... [i]_creeper? No, sneaker? Maybe...[/i]_ Octavia shook her head, clearing away the thought.

"Naw, we're more like siblings..." Octavia sagged a bit, blushing at her assumption. "Oh, I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to make a mule out of either of us..."

Jackie looked up, her embarrassment forgotten. "Huh? A mule?"

"Yes; since I assumed..."

Jackie's mouth quirked into a smile, snorting with laughter. "Oh, yea'. I geddit. Now, let's get this puppy back with the others; we'll drop the kittens off first so they don't get frightened."

After extricating an impossibly cute calico from her mane, Octavia trotted along behind Jackie as she walked towards the back of the store, the dog obediently walking alongside her.

"Are all the dogs here like him?"

"Nah, he's special; pretty much bred to be awesome. He can follow complex hand gestures, or even sounds, if you can get the right pitch."

"That's amazing!"

"Yeah, if only Henry could be trained like that." The two girls broke into a fit of giggles, Henry rolling his eyes, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Alrigh', in y'go, boy." Jackie opened the kennel, and the pup ran inside, while a few other dogs tried to get out. "Oh, no y'don't! Git!" Jackie put her foot with the sneaker on it towards the dogs, not kicking them but pushing against their noses. "Shoo, c'mon, now! Ah don't wanna hafta go chasin' y'all rowdy pups around the mall again, thank ya kindly!" She said hastily.

One of the dogs, seeming to feel defiant, bit into her shoe and growled adorably as she tried to shake him off gently before yanking her foot backwards. The dog let go, and retreated as she closed the door. "Wull, that's that, Ah s'pose."

Jackie noticed Octavia looking at her shoe, and wiggled it around. "Tha's why Ah wear a sneaker, so's they don't bite inta mah boots. It's bad fer the boot, an' bad fer their teeth. Th' saying might say not ta look a gift horse in th' mouth, but that don't apply to dogs people're buyin'." Jackie and Octavia started back towards the front of the store as Henry lingered, looking in on the puppy.

"Why doesn't he just buy the dog, Jackie?"

"It's probably the cost. Even if Ah let 'im use mah discount, the pup's a pretty grand, and college life ain't cheap ya know." She said sadly, crossing her arms as she saw him play with the pup through the kennel's wall. "His job don't pay him much either, if he even still has it."

"What does he work as?"

"Ask 'im yerself. Ain't mah place t' pry." Octavia nodded and followed Henry as he waved from the store's doorway. "Y'all take care a yerselves, now! Ah'll talk to ya later, 'Tavi!"

[hr]

After a brief stop for a meal at the 'Food Court' as Henry had explained to her, they left the mall and got into his car before driving back towards his home through the thick early evening traffic.

"Henry?" Octavia asked as she leant against the door.

Henry nodded his head.

The cello player felt a blush kiss her cheeks. "T-thanks for taking me to the mall today."

A smile tugged at his lips, his hand reaching over and squeezing hers. Octavia squeezed back as she closed her eyes, sighing blissfully as the sounds of traffic drifted in and out of focus.

[hr]

_[i]when it snows, ain't it thrillin' _

_though your nose gets a chillin'? _

_we'll frolic and play the eskimo way _

_walkin' in a winter wonderland! _

_walkin' in a winter wonderland![/i]_

The smooth rhythm of the song carried out through the cafe as the song ended, Tara delivering to large ceramic cups of hot chocolate to Henry and Octavia.

Octavia picked up the large cup with both hands and drank a bit of it, eyes closing in delight at the extra spicing she had requested in hers.

Henry smiled and lifted his cup of white hot chocolate and took a sip, licking his lips at the smoothness of the beverage.

Setting it down, he typed on his slate. "Was I right about the hot chocolate here being the best in town?" she read as a smile grew on his face.

"Well, seeing as how it's the only one you've taken me to... Yes; yes it is." Octavia giggled as Henry rolled his eyes, snorting at her before pouting playfully.

"Excuse me, [i]_princess[/I]_, didn't know you suddenly took a tier level in sarcasm. Next time we can go to one of those... [i]_classy[/i]_ establishments." he wrote with a sarcastic sneer that did nothing to stop his body-wide, silent laughter.

"I've been here, what, three months? As your kind say, 'Tis the season!' Where's your sense of goodwill towards man?"

"That has nothing to do with my not taking you to a classy restaurant; you're a [i]_pony[/i],_ remember~?" Octavia stuck her tongue out at Henry as he gave her a roguish look.

"Y'know, the Lover's Special is still available if you two ever decide to get it; you two get cuter every time you come in here." Tara chided playfully, pulling up a chair at their table and sitting with them.

Octavia's face, already flushed from the cocoa's warmth, became just a tad redder. "Tara, you're embarrassing me..."

Henry got a thoughtful look on his face, before looking at Octavia. He gave her a small smile with his eyes half-lidded, hands clasped beneath his chin as his smile grew like the Cheshire Cat's.

Octavia's eyes widened, and she squirmed in her seat, her heart thudding wildly in her chest. "Henry, please tell me you're not..."

Henry just nodded, closing his eyes as he continued sighed, covering her face. "You are..." Octavia glanced up, only to find Tara missing from her seat. She groaned, knowing that these two were just doing it to make her blush.

Not five minutes later, Tara returned with the large... Calling it a cup would be giving it too little credit, as it seemed beyond words in size. The glass container for the beverage sparkled softly in the fluorescently lit room, the eggnog pushing the whipped cream and cherry every which way.

Octavia's face was alit with a blush so intense, Henry feared that the shake would evaporate if it came any closer to their table. Fortunately, it stayed frozen, though that might have been due to the embarrassed glare she sent at him from across the table. "..." The silence stretched on as they stared at each other, Henry with a grin, Octavia with a frown.

The heavy silence remained until Henry stuck out just the tip of his tongue, wiggling it around at Octavia with a wink. The tension eased immediately as she broke into a fit of giggles. "Oh, that is downright cruel of you, Henry, buying something of this size! How is one supposed to eat it all?"

"It isn't made for one, sweetie~ That's why it's called the [i]_Lover's[/i]_ Special." Tara pointed out from her chair.

"Tara, why must you embarrass me so? Henry and I act nothing like lovers! We are not a couple!" Octavia said indignantly, refusing to back down and swallow her pride.

The waitress giggled like a mad woman before leaning in closer to Octavia. "You two sure seemed to act like one. Don't think I haven't see the looks you two send each other." She said in a conspiratorial whisper.

Henry observed their interactions quietly, a small smirk on his face at his handiwork. [i]_Octavia... This time you've given me has been the most fun I've had in years... I wish I could thank you for something seemingly so simple, and yet meaning the world.[/i]_ Henry leaned forward in his seat, a spoon dipping down to the giant tub of ice cream and egg nog. He scooped some up, bringing the spoon close to his mouth before lunging forward just as Octavia was opening her mouth to make her rebuttal on how cute her and Henry were together.

"Mmm..." Having never tasted Eggnog before, and getting it spoon-fed to her no less, Octavia couldn't help the delighted moan, nor the blush that developed almost instantaneously. She covered her reddening cheeks with her hands, closing her eyes as she squirmed in her seat, much to Tara's satisfaction and Henry's amusement.

"Okay, 'Tavi. Once you get out of denial, me and the rest of the Egyptians will be waiting with towels." With that confusing sentence, Tara got up and returned to helping out the one or two other patrons who were in the diner.

Henry held up his slate. "See, what did I tell you, you'd love it one way or another."

"Yes, well... fine." Octavia wrapped her arms around the tub, putting it on the table behind her. "You can eat whatever's left when I'm finished." Octavia stuck her tongue out at him, in a not-so-proper gesture, and he picked up his spoon and sat down right next to her, a competitive gleam in his eyes. Holding up his slate, and hit the play button.

The race was on! Gone was refinement! Sensibility had fled the building! Poise had passed out! Dignity was dropping faster than a unicorn in freefall! Pigging out was [i]_in[/i]_ this season! Neither was willing to back out as they shoveled large spoonfuls of ice cream with little regard for etiquette, both of them grinning like mad people. Once they neared the bottom, Henry redoubled his efforts, outpacing the slowing musician who couldn't keep up with him. With a mighty belch, Henry dropped his spoon into the large bowl, leaning back in his self-proclaimed victory.

A victory that was short lived however, as he promptly grabbed his stomach in pain, causing Octavia to snort indignantly. "Really, Henry? Why are colts [i]_so_[/i] competitive?"

Tara walked over, picking up the empty container as she stifled a giggle. "Yes, yes, tell us the ways of the dolts, Henry! Well, I'll clean this up, and you two give me a holler if you want anything more!"

Octavia gave a little wave of her hand in response. "Oh, no; I think we're done. I still need Henry to drive, after all," she said with a snicker as she nuzzled Henry's cheek.

Henry sighed, pulling out his credit card and handing it to Tara.

The waitress took the card and brought it up to the cash register, going through the notions before returning to the table with the card and receipt.

"Thanks." he wrote on his slate before pulling out a twenty dollar bill and handing it to her.

"But Henry, the special was on m—"

He merely held his hand out in front of him, refusing to hear her argument as he stood up and put on his coat.

Tara blew a lock of strawberry blonde hair off her face. "Fine, but only because you insist." She said somewhat haughtily, laughing when Henry pouted and gave her a tight hug. Tara looked over to see Octavia hovering nearby, and rolled her eyes. "Well, come on, now. I don't want to be forcing you in, but get over here."

Octavia sighed and let herself be pulled into the hug, the warmth surrounding her and filling a sense of self she hadn't noticed was empty. [i]_These are my friends. I wouldn't be here without them.[/i]_ A tear trickled down her face as she squeezed a bit tighter, nuzzling Tara before letting go and taking Henry's hand in her own. "Come on, Henry. I believe that it is high time that we head back home." She fidgeted for a second, before continuing. "You did say you wanted to talk about some... [i]_things[/i]_ of import. College and the like."

"Oh, will we be seeing you around campus, then?"

"Yes, if my, uh... [i]_transcripts[/i]_ got filed correctly." Octavia smiled nervously, Tara taking notice but thinking different the reason for her odd behavior.

"Oh, don't worry, hun. You'll feel welcome. Of course, that's if you don't start hanging with Kenne and his tanner crew." Tara shook her head with a reproachful look in her eyes. "Those boys will just be downright mean to you, and it's always pretty childish. It's as if they never learned to swear!"

Henry waved his hand dismissively, not caring much for the group either as Octavia dragged him towards the door. Waving one final goodbye, Tara went back to attending the other customers before the door swung shut behind them.

Octavia sighed in relief. "That was a close one..." She breathed out.

Henry tapped her shoulder.

She looked at his slate. "Yes?"

"I just realized... what are we gonna do about your papers? A transcript is the least of our worries right now." The words on the slate were no different than any other words that he'd ever typed, but a sudden chill went down Octavia's spine nonetheless.

"Papers...?"

Henry nodded. "Passport, Identification Card, Social Security Card, Birth Certificates, the whole nine yards."

"Oh, that's a lot of papers... In Equestria, you'd have your Birth Certificate, of course, but you wouldn't even need it. It was just there to keep a record of who was born into which families, and other such drivel."

Henry scratched his head. "Well, you can't exactly sign up at any learning institution without proof of residency and identification." He explained as they waited at the last light leading to his apartment.

Octavia shook her head in annoyance, glaring at the street light as it turned green in the right-turn lane, but not theirs. "Why must humans make everything so complicated?"

He shrugged his shoulders and threw on his blinker, taking a left into the parking lot and parking the car. "To be honest, I have no clue why things are like this. For some reason, everyone here is obsessed with some obscure system to track every living being down, like hunting an animal."

Octavia sighed. "Yes... [i]_hunting.[/i]_ I can understand that humans eat meat as a necessity, but making a [i]_game[/i]_ of it just seems... wrong."

"Some people...just find different ways to entertain themselves, some more cruel than others."

"Yes... I've noticed. There aren't many like that in Equestria. Sure, some ponies like to fish, but it's never for anything cruel. We don't use hooks, we use feeders. We've got enough entertainment that we don't need to delve into... [i]_barbarism[/i]_ to have a sport." Octavia fumbled with the buckle on her seat as Henry pulled the car to a stop in the apartment complex' garage. "Not even Griffons are that cruel nowadays. They hunt for food, but don't take lives that are unnecessary."

Leaning over, Henry helped her with her buckle before getting out of the car. "I suppose you make a good point." He wrote on his slate as they walked up the stairs.

Octavia sat down in the living room as Henry put his keys on a little hanger and threw his coat into the closet. "What do you think is happening back home, Henry? Is anypony worried? Have they already given up? How long has it been for them? A day? A minute? A year? A century? Celestia herself may have trouble remembering me if I were to go back, or nopony may have noticed my absence. Both thoughts chill me to the core, Henry, and yet I almost wish it so if it means Vinyl can go about her life as she usually does."

Henry glanced at her sadly, watching the guilt and mixture of emotions eat away at her until he sat down next to her on the couch and merely hugged her. She gasped momentarily before hugging him back, eyes closed as she tried not to think about the worrying aspects of her being away from home.

_[i]I'd try to fill this silence, but empty words don't help anything.[/i]_ Henry gently rubbed Octavia's shoulder, offering what comfort he could as she once again found herself longing for home. [i]_I wish I could help you, I really do. But science can't do anything, and I have no miracles to offer.[/i]_

She pulled him down onto the couch, her soft breathing tickling his chest. He laid there for several moments contemplating how he could help ease her fears when he felt Octavia loosen her arms around him. Looking down, he smiled sadly as she slept against him, her magenta eyes shut, a peaceful expression forming as she slept.

_[i] We'll figure something out...a day a time.[/i]_ He thought to himself as he picked her up, quietly taking her into his room, and pulling the covers over her. _[i]You'll see, Octavia. Things can get bad or worse, but there's always a silver lining.[/i] _Turning off the light and closing the door, he once again relaxed on the couch, before falling asleep.


	5. S1E5: And That's How America was Made!

[b]**Episode 5: "And That's How America was Made!"[/b]**

[8:33:54 AM] Rami Perez: So, who's this for again?

[8:34:10 AM] Henry Westñaire: A friend of mine. She's not from around here, and just needs an ID and a birth certificate made. We can work out other papers too, if needed.

[8:34:19 AM] Rami Perez: I want to meet her.

Henry exhaled through his nose, trying to not get frustrated. Of course he'd want to meet her. Of course the pictures were good, but not good enough. Ramone was the only person he knew that could make her papers with very little hassle, but he always wanted to meet people in person. It was how they'd been introduced, his friend Nick had gone through quite the bit of trouble getting them to meet. Henry stared at the Chat he was using, the small cursor blinking sedately as it waited for him to type.

[8:36:56 AM] Henry Westñaire: ...Alright. When and where? Same time, same place?

[8:37:06 AM] Rami Perez: Yeah. Same time, same place; new dime, new face. Got it?

Henry answered with an affirmation, and leaned back in his chair, grunting. This would cost a pretty penny, which meant he couldn't get him for another few months, at least. If he was even still in the store then... He shook his head. Jackie had promised that she'd keep him safe until he had enough money. [i]_Oh, well... Getting her papers so she isn't deported is more important than my getting a dog, at this point._[/i] Henry got up, grabbing a heavy coat. It was starting to snow more often, which meant winter was coming. He left her a small note on the door before closing it behind him and leaving.

The opening and closing of the front door, quiet as it was, was still loud enough to wake Octavia from her peaceful slumber. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and she sat up, taking a deep breath as the sight of the morning sun streaming in through the half-closed blinds greeted her. Sitting up in the bed, she stretched her arms up high, yawning as she felt her bones pop satisfyingly into place. Pulling the bed sheet off, Octavia swung her legs over the bed and put her slippers on, heading towards the bathroom to take care of her hygienic needs.

Once she finished, she walked over towards the living room, she yawned once again. "Good...morning, Henry. Did you sleep well?" She said as she entered, noticing his blanket and pillow folded up neatly. Not hearing a response, Octavia started towards the kitchen, passing the front door. Noticing the sticky note attached to the door from the corner of her eye, she paused. "A note?"

[i] If you're reading this, then obviously I'm not back home yet. I just went out for a short walk. I'll be back in a bit and we'll talk about what to do regarding your legal situation.

Sincerely,

Henry[/i]

Octavia read the note twice, and [i]_hmmed_[/i],walking into the kitchen to get something to eat. She'd felt too nervous to do this the first few times she'd woken to find Henry gone, and had usually been famished by the time he got back. Now, though, it'd been almost three months since she'd ended up in his home, and he'd made sure she felt more than welcome to dig around for food if she was feeling peckish.

As she rummaged around the fridge's sparse contents, mentally making a list of what to get when Henry went shopping next, she stopped to contemplate the package of bacon. [i]_I've never tried making it myself before..._[/i] Octavia stared at it, pulling it out of the fridge and closing the door as she started towards the stove. She knew it was made from pig. She knew what beef was, and that lamb chops were eaten nearly everywhere. She'd eaten meat almost every day, even after finding out what it was. If it hadn't had nutrients her body needed, she probably would have cut it out of her diet. But even she knew that that would be silly, if not downright stupid. Even she, as an earth pony, had eaten fish on occasion, even though it was usually considered a pegasus delicacy.

She set the package of bacon on the counter by the stove, fumbling around until she found a frying pan. "Here we go," She muttered to herself before wincing. Talking to herself was a bad habit she'd developed over time whenever she was left alone, as the silence in the apartment was unnerving. Putting the pan on the stove, she turned the burner up to high. "Alright," She said aloud, "Let's get cooking!"

[hr]

Henry sighed as he kicked a piece of ice with his boot. [i]_Man, what am I gonna do? Those papers aren't gonna come cheap, even if Rami and I are... "friends"... what he does isn't exactly legal and his fees include the risk._[/i] His outward appearance contrasted greatly with the festive feeling in the air as he turned around the block, waving hello to one of his more friendly neighbors as they left for work. [i]_More importantly, how can I balance this entire budget without things falling apart? Octavia depends on me... she needs me..._[/i]

He cut through the small park and trudged through the kid-made path that had formed during numerous playful snow wars. Finding a clean bench, he sat down and leaned back. [i]_'Tavi...Why [/i]_do[i]_ I do all this for her? She just stumbled into my life and at the moment I felt it was the right thing to take her in under my care. Now though, I feel like it's way more than just that. She's needed help in ways no one else could actually help...and I don't mind. I love helping her and spending time with her and that beautiful smile she gives me, that make her eyes sparkle in the light every time we conv—_[/i] His train of thought ended abruptly when he caught where his thoughts were going, a deep blush forming on his face.

Sitting up, he clasped his head in the palms of his hands; he started shaking; eyes wide. _[i]Do I... Do I really...[/i]_ Henry gasped as tears formed in his eyes. _[i]How should I feel...[/i]_

How should I feel, _[i]Henry thought to himself as he sat on his bed, tears trickling down his face and creating spots on the glass that held his mother. From downstairs, he could barely hear the excited and happy chatter of some of his classmates as they partook in party games and cake, and whatever else his dad had set up for his 7th birthday.[/i] _How should I feel, mom? I want you to come back, please... Come back. That's all I want today. I don't want the presents. Just... Just... _[i]He couldn't form the thoughts his mind was trying to conjure up; he was too young for them to fully form. His father opened the door, the sounds from below becoming louder, the peals of laughter causing him to flinch slightly as they contradicted his mood._

"_Come on, son, it's your birthday. You can't be sad on your birthday." Henry stayed silent, not acknowledging his father's presence. His father sighed. "Look, Henry. You can't hide up here forever; you've got friends here who are wondering why they're not getting their cake yet."_

_Henry flinched again, feeling hurt that they cared more for cake than how he felt. Is that all he was to them? A chance for free sweets?_

_His father was getting angry. His temper hadn't been like this before his mother died, but now he was always yelling. "Henry, stop being like this. You need to move on. What would your mother think if she saw you like this, hiding away from the world?"_

_Henry continued his quiet staring contest with the photo of his mother. It was a picture of her holding him upside down as she tickled him playfully, both their faces broken out in wide smiles as he laughed. That picture had only been taken a week before—_

"_Dammit, Henry! Stop fucking around! She's dead! Fucking [/i]_dead! _[i]Get the fuck over it, and stop pitying yourself!" His father slammed the door, even as Henry's tears intensified. The music below fell silent, and the sounds of the other kids screaming and yelling as they were herded outside grew fainter as they moved out of earshot. Henry curled up on his bed, repeating his inner mantra to himself, hoping against all hope that the next time he saw his mother, she'd be waking him up from this nightmare.[/i]_

[hr]

"Oh no, oh no, no no no no! Stop it! Stop burning!" Octavia pulled the frying pan from the stovetop, turning on the water and shoving it and the burnt bacon under the cold deluge, steam hissing at as hot grease continued to splatter against her arm. "Oooh, Henry's gonna be mad at me, oh Celestia, I don't want to go to the moon! Ponies can't breathe in space!" Octavia fell to her knees, choking out a sob before gasping with a sudden realization. "I'm a humare! Maybe I could survive in space? No, no, no! I'll probably die [i]_faster[/i]_ with these spindly limbs; they'll expand until they burst! I don't want to die [i]_fat![/i]_" In typical Equestrian fashion, Octavia was making a dragon out of a firefly.

"No, yes, I can get rid of the evidence! No, he'd notice if I threw out the pan. Wait! What if I [i]_disguised[/i]_ the pan as Buck Tesla? He doesn't know who Buck Tesla is, he'd never notice!" The doorknob started jiggling, the sound loud enough to drown out the thudding of her heart as it sounded her eviction notice, and it wouldn't just be from Henry's house, but the kingdom, if not the planet. "Oh no, oh no, oh nononononono..."

The door knob spun counterclockwise before it pushed open, letting Henry step into the apartment. Seeing Octavia in the kitchen, he flashed her a smile before suddenly being tackled to the floor. Tears streamed down her face, the fear in her eyes clear as day.

"Ohpleasepleasepleasepleasedo n'tkickmeoutIdidn'tmeantoburnitIjustcouldn—[i]_mmph!_[/i]" Henry held his hand to Octavia's mouth even as she continued her muffled babbling.

"Hey, hey, slow down for a second! What's going on?" She mewled plaintively, whimpering as her purple eyes shimmered in the light from his phone. "Octavia, I'm gonna move my hand, okay? Please don't start talking like a bullet train again when I do, alright? If you do, I won't be able to understand anything you say." She shook her head slightly before nodding slowly, almost as if unsure of herself.

Henry removed his hand from her mouth and calmly waited for her reply. "I," she began, her breath shuddering as she fought down the urge to panic. Almost miraculously, as she took deep breaths, she found herself calming down much more quickly than normal; Herd Mentality had set the 'panic' command to override anything and everything else, but it seemed that here she could master her emotions somewhat easier.

Taking another deep breath, this one not shuddering at all, she let it out slowly before starting again. "Henry, I'm sorry, I was trying to make myself some breakfast, and I burnt the bacon; I don't know what went wrong, but please, don't kick me out!" Her eyes were brimming with tears by the end of her explanation, short as it was, and her lower lip was quivering as she tried to hold back a sob.

The young man merely laughed quietly, shoulders convulsing as he still laid beneath her, arms pulling her into a tight hug. "H-henry, it's not funny! I could have killed myself, or worse, I could have burnt down your home!" Placing two fingers against her lips, he tapped out a response. "Octavia, the stove's electric; no fire could spread from that, unless the grease itself caught fire. What did you do when you realized the bacon was burning?"

"I... I tried to turn it over, but the spatula wouldn't get beneath it. It was stuck to the pan. I, uh... I plunged it under cold water as soon as I could."

Henry nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, that's good. You did the right thing," he typed out, mentally adding _[i]though PAM would have kept the bacon from sticking...[/i]_ "Did you get to eat, or no?"

"No, I'm... I'm still hungry." Henry smiled and motioned for her to get off of him, so he could make them some food. Grimacing as he walked past the fried pan, he turned off the water and pulled out the last of the Bisquick, a couple of eggs, and the milk.

_[i]Pancakes always made me feel better when I thought I was in trouble... Mom always put too much strawberries in them, but I loved them anyways...[/i] _Henry was shaken from his reverie as the batter he'd mixed together splashed a bit as it hit the well-greased pan, getting some goop on his arm. Grunting, he wiped it off on a dishtowel before turning his attention back to the pancakes. Briefly, he wondered if he had any strawberries in the fridge, but shook the thought away when Octavia called out about something smelling good.

Putting the last touches on it, he piled all the pancakes on a large plate and brought them over to the table where individual plates awaited him. Octavia perked up, her eyes and smile widening as she took a deep breath. "Mmm, those smell delicious!"

Henry smiled and put some pancakes on her plate, pouring syrup on them. "What are you waiting for?" He wrote on his slate. "Dig in!"

Octavia complied, digging in happily as Henry made himself a plate, before grabbing the milk and pouring them both a glass. Octavia chattered about something she'd seen the day before on TV, and Henry nodded along, only half-listening as he continued pondering the question he'd asked himself just that morning. _[i]Do I really love her, or—[/i]_

"Oh, that's wonderful! Thank you, Henry! I've been wanting to go to the mall again!" Octavia clapped her hands together, a small giggle of excitement slipping past before she could control herself.

Henry smiled, his chest feeling warmer. _[i]Yes, I really do, don't I?[/i]_ Henry started eating, a large smile on his face as all his worries seemed to fade into the background. Not gone, but for now, forgotten.

[hr]

"Ahhh, welcome to my lair, my abode, my humble HQ." The man's voice echoed around the rather spacious room, seeming to resonate from the darkened area itself. "So, you're Henry's new friend? How did the likes of him meet the likes of you? Magic?" The man snorted as he leaned back in his computer chair, running a hand through his thick curly hair. "Yeah, right. As if magic were real. So, I'm guessing you two met on the street?"

Octavia flushed slightly and looked down. "A-actually," She started, before Henry put a hand on her shoulder. Octavia nodded sheepishly, and shifted a bit on her seat as Henry started typing on his slate once more.

[1:34:28 PM] Henry Westñaire: "We actually met in the park. She was just sitting on a bench, wearing just a coat. She doesn't have much of her memory, but she said her name was Octavia Cleff. We've looked for her for the past few months, but she doesn't show up in any databases anywhere."

Rami read through the IM a few times, hmming a bit before turning to his second monitor once more. "Well...I suppose it should be quite easy to make her records, including an I.D, but the only thing of real challenge is putting her in the system. Without that, there's a lot she still can't do once it comes to verification."

Henry looked at him from his chair.

[1:36:45 PM] Henry Westñaire: So what exactly would you have to do to fake her into the system?

The man rubbed his chin idly, leaning back in his chair. "Well for starters, I need to make her an [i]_authentic[/i]_ birth certificate, To do that, I'd need a doctor's signature, but not a current doctor. One that was around a good, oh... twenty-one years ago?"

Octavia smiled demurely. "Thank you, but, I'm actually twenty three."

The man (in the yellow hat) grinned. "Well, you're as beautiful as a girl three years younger. I'll just need the state where you're from, and then I'll start searching for plausible candidates for a 'signature donation.'

She confidently spoke up. "Attleboro, Massachusetts. Would that help you with picking a plausible hospital?"

Rami laughed. "You're most certainly correct. The more specific the information you give me, the easier it is to create records for you."

Octavia sighed inwardly, relaxing into her chair. [i]_I was worried that this would be harder. All I need to do is remember what Henry told me._[/i]

He typed away on his computer, using his mouse occasionally before addressing them after several minutes. "Check out the base work for her papers."

Henry leaned over Rami's shoulder and felt his breath hitch. On the monitor, several important files had already been filled out. Her birth certificate, Social Security Number, her school records were being finished and he was even working on making space for her in several class photos.

"Octavia, how did it feel like being in the graduate class of 2007?" Rami asked.

"Uhhh... Good?" She winced at her own indecisiveness.

He laughed loudly and patted her back. "Relax, I'm just pulling your leg. After all, you and Henry are technically in the same level of College, so I should be able to get you put in as a Junior."

Octavia nodded, still feeling a bit nervous that this was actually happening.

Rami typed away at his computer. "Tell me, Octavia, what would you like to major in?"

"Oh, I like music..."

"So, you'd like to join Henry's classes? His major is in Music so you'd be working towards being a professional musician."

"W-well, yes! I mean, sure. My whole family's been in the music industry... I think. I mean, my name's Octavia..."

Rami smiled softly, his eyes the calmest Octavia had seen of the man since walking into the College's darkened computer lab. "I respect that. Although computers may seem like my passion, I've always had a love and knack for music of all sorts."

Octavia smiled. "Yes, I enjoy classical music, myself." Again, she couldn't help but cringe a bit, as the music humans considered 'classical' was still very in vogue back in Equestria.

"Any other kinds of music you listen to or have you just not had time?"

"Oh, no, I've listened to some of that... quite vulgar trash that is called 'rap.' I've never been so offended as a lady before in my life." She sighed a bit, before admitting almost regrettably, "though dubstep and house are genres I got used to..." Octavia trailed off, not wanting to give away too much information, since she was supposed to have amnesia.

"House and Dubstep are pretty good genres. A shame that so many wannabe's give them a bit of a bad name, but that's common with every genre." He commented offhandedly, working away on her papers.

Octavia's anger flared for a moment, wanting to snap back with a scathing comment about Beathooven's several successes, including his twelfth symphony, but let her anger go. There was probably one musician somewhere in Equestria giving Orchestral music a bad name, or any of the classics.

Henry squeezed her hand supportively, offering her a small smile. Smiling back, she refocused her attention on the man before her.

"Octavia."

"Y-yes?"

"Could you stand by the blue wall behind you? I need to take your photo for your I.D."

"Okay." Octavia got up and shuffled over to the wall, smiling self-consciously as Rami brought over a small device that looked somewhat like the cameras she was used to.

"Now, this is a photo ID creator. It doesn't just take your picture, but will print it on a small plastic card along with your name, a serial number, and a few other codes that only really matter to computers. So just give me your best smile and we'll go from there."

Octavia widened her smile, her face starting to smart from trying to hold it. The man laughed, and her face had no problem with becoming a pout. "What, that was a perfectly nice smile."

"Yes, yes; if you're trying to make a silly Facebook post, sure. No, I want a natural smile, Octavia. Just look at the camera, and pretend you're in your happy place. Just relax, alright?"

Octavia took a deep breath and nodded, closing her eyes. After a few minutes of slow, deep breaths, a small smile formed on her lips and she opened her eyes, all signs of nerves gone for the moment. "Okay," She said. "I'm ready." Her face fell into a relaxed smile, and then there was a [i]_click-whirr[/i]_ as the camera-thing took her picture.

"Alright, we're done for now. I'll need another picture, but with you in a school girl's uniform. How does Bishop Feenan High School sound?"

Octavia nodded.

Rami pulled a black uniform with matching skirt and a red tie. "Just wear this and I can get it to match their school colors and emblem."

Octavia nodded and took the garments, walking out of the room in search of a girl's restroom.

The door closed behind her, and the two guys stopped watching after her and turned to each other. "So," Rami said. "You met 'at the park,' eh? Cool."

Henry gulped lightly and typed on his slate.

[1:52:12 PM] Henry Westñaire: Yep. At the park.

Rami chuckled before looking at him seriously. "You really expect me to believe that, Henry?"

[1:52:48 PM] Henry Westñaire: Believe whatever you want.

"If you say so."

[1:53:21 PM] Henry Westñaire: Ugh, whatever, man. What do you want me to say, that she fell from a wormhole into my bathroom buck-naked as the day she was born?

Rami couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, that's just stupid. I thought you were the stray cat in our group, now we got two."

Henry's face flushed just as he got ready to reply, the door opened again and in walked Octavia wearing the rather tight-fitting school uniform. The blouse exemplified her curves and the skirt left very little to the imagination. To Henry, she looked like a million dollars and some change.

Octavia shifted, unconsciously scuffing at the floor with one of her uniform's school shoes, nervously biting her lip. "Wh-what's wrong, Henry? I-is it that bad? I-I should just change back."

The mute man said nothing, but the blush was clear on his face.

Rami snickered and shook his head. "Don't worry, Octavia. Henry's just trying to process what his eyes are telling him."

Octavia nodded, obviously still unsure, but moved over to a wall with a whiteboard on it, so Rami could take the class photo. "Is there anything else, after this?"

"Hmm...Other than getting a doctor for your birth certificates, I don't believe so." He said as he lined her up in comparison to the photo on his computer.

"Say cheese!" [i]_-flash-_[/i]

[hr]

Octavia skipped ahead, shivering as she relished the break from the cold chill of the weather. She looked back to see Henry brush small amounts of snow off his shoulders before catching up.

"So, where do you wanna go first, Henry?"

Henry looked up and pointed towards the pet store. Octavia smiled and turned towards the escalator, giving the moving stairs a wary glance even as she stepped on them. [i]_Come now, Octavia; there's nothing to fear...[/i]_ Letting go of a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Octavia stepped off the escalator and began trotting towards the pet shop.

The mute man smiled, shaking his head at her antics as he walked after her.

Henry got to the door of the pet shop just in time to hear Octavia's squeal of delight as she saw that a new kitten had been brought in. Laughing inwardly, he wondered briefly if he was anything like that when playing with his- with the puppy that Jackie had trained.

Jackie walked up with one of the new kittens in hand, finishing up feeding it by bottle before placing it in the display box. Brushing back some of her hair, she noticed Octavia from her peripheral vision.

"Hey there, 'Tavi, how ya'll doin'?"

"Oh, marvelous, Jackie, simply wonderful! Awww... I wish kittens were this adorable [i]_all[/i]_ the time!"

Jackie just laughed. "Yeah, an' 'Ah wish mah brother wouldn't strut 'round like a peacock whene'er his girlfriend calls him up." She snorts, her smile becoming a cheeky grin. "But then again, that's mah own fault, waitin' an' wantin' fer somethin' that 'Ah never did have a chance ta get."

There was a shout from the back of the store, and then the frantic sound of scampering paws and excited barking. "Ah, heck, Michael! You let 'em out again!" Jackie ran towards the large fence-like door, trying to close it before too many of the dogs escaped. Sighing in relief when she saw that none had escaped, she whacked Michael upside the head. "Darned fool, you are, geez..." She shook her head as she began to herd the dogs back towards the kennel. "Sorry, 'Tavi! Ah'll catch up with y'all later!"

Octavia nodded in understanding, and went to find Henry and the puppy he'd been playing with every day they came here sitting calmly and quietly in the corner. Henry waved when he saw her approaching, before going back to scratching behind the pup's ear.

The puppy whined happily, tail wagging away as he graciously accepted his affection. "Hewwo puppy," Octavia said as she crouched down with them. While petting the pup's back, she added, "And a fine day to you, sir doggy. You're so well trained!" Henry rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but grin. It always made life seem better when Octavia smiled.

Jackie came back with a uniform and name tag. "Ah' believe this is for ya, 'Tavi."

Octavia's eyes widened in surprise as she stood up, hugging her tightly. "Oh, thank you, Jackie! How'd you get your boss to agree?"

Jackie snorted. "Girl, you're looking at the Employee of the month for the past year. Ah'm 'bout as goodie-goodie as you can get with only one shoe!"

Not really getting the reference, but too excited to care, Octavia gave Jackie a nuzzle before skipping out of the store, more than likely wanting to find a place to try on her uniform. Henry looked at Jackie, who shrugged with a smug smile on her face. "Don't ask me, Silent Knight. She wanted the job. Asked about it a few weeks ago. Boss finally said yes when he saw how our sales went up whenever she was in the store, heh heh."

Henry nodded absently, somewhat understanding the thought process. "Well...it's great she's taken initiative and got herself a job. I hope it isn't too much for her."

Jackie laughed and patted his back. "Relax, Henry, she'll do jus' fine! Ah'm sure she'll get a handle of how things run in no time."

Octavia skipped back in, her uniform proudly displaying her curves. She had rolled up the sleeves on her gray long sleeve shirt, giving her a tomboyish look that made her seem even cuter. The blue jeans that went with the outfit hugged her hips and lower body firmly without being uncomfortable. Like Jackie, she also wore a boot on her left foot and a tennis shoe on her right.

Smiling, Octavia placed a hand on her hips and gave him a playfully stern look. "How do I look, Henry?"

Henry merely blushed and typed away on his slate. "You look great!"

Octavia smiled, eyes shutting as she gave a brilliant, beaming smile. "Thanks!"

[hr]

Henry pulled up at the campus parking lot. [i]_Why does he insist on always meeting here? The semester ended for Christ's sake![/i]_ He thought, huffing to himself as he climbed up the hill, flashing his school ID at the door opener before letting himself in. Walking over to a door on his right, he walked down the long hall before reaching the computer lab, finding Rami sitting by himself in the same spot.

He quietly walked over and tapped him on the shoulder before sitting down in the chair next to him.

"Hey there, Henry, nice of you to make it." Rami said coolly, pulling a folder out of his shoulder bag and handing it over to Henry.

Henry opened it and thumbed through it, nodding at the authenticity of her documents from the birth certificate to the high school diploma.

"Pretty neat, huh? I managed to not only find a doctor willing to sign her birth certificate, but I also got her in the system."

The mute man nodded and sighed. "How much?"

Rami rolled his eyes. "Straight to the point aren't we? Well, since you're friends with Nick, I'll do it for six hundred."

Henry nodded. [i]_Well, that means Ramen for a few months...[/i] _He pulled his wallet out of the breast pocket of his jacket, counting the necessary amount before handing it to Rami, who just pocketed it. To his surprise, Rami held out his hand in a handshake.

"It was nice doing business with you man, if you need my help, you know how to reach me," He said, smiling as Henry shook his hand.

Placing the folder in the crook of his arm, he walked towards the exit and offered a friendly wave as he left.

[hr]

A week and a half later, Octavia walked into "Pet Palace" at a quarter to nine, a smile on her face.

"Hey, Octavia!"

Octavia's smile widened, turning to look at her friend. "Jackie! How have you been? It's been too long, in such a short time!"

Jackie laughed at that, and gave Octavia a friendly hug. "Yeah, that was the longest week Ah've ever had. Heck, 'Ah almost fired Michael mahself when he let the dogs out durin' tha mornin' rush." The two continued into the back of the store, where there were a few rows of lockers for the employees to store their personal affects.

"Oh, he's just trying to be helpful, Jackie, besides. I think he likes you."

Jackie pulled her locker open, snorting in distaste. "Well, tell 'im ta get some better animal skills, an' Ah'll give 'im a chance." She stuffed her purse into the locker and slammed it shut, spinning her lock before waiting by the door for Octavia.

The door into the manager's office opened, and a middle-aged man stuck his head out. "Octavia Cleff?"

Octavia looked up, not having seen her boss before. "Yes, Mister Yatch?"

"Please, call me Burton."

Octavia nodded. "Alright, Mist- uh, Burton."

Burton smiled, running a hand over his thinning hair. "Please, step into my office for a moment."

He ducked back into his office, the door closing with a soft click. Octavia looked to Jackie, who shrugged and nodded. Wondering what she was being called in for, Octavia stepped into the office. Sitting down in front of the desk, she took a second to look around as Yatch fiddled with a small folder. On the desk were a few pictures, some of family, and some of different pets and animals, including one of a particularly large-antlered elk. "Nice rack, eh?"

Octavia looked up, startled out her trip in space to find her boss staring at her. "I-I'm sorry sir, what?"

"That elk there. I found him when he was only a little buck. He'd gotten injured by some bastard who thought bear traps were good for deer hunting. I brought him back to the farm, patched him up. Helped him walk until he could run again. Kept him fed and healthy. He became that beautiful creature you see there. He died of old age not long ago, just quit living it seemed. We buried him on the farm, left him as he was. Those antlers would fetch a good price, but I couldn't take them off him, he was my friend."

Octavia patted the man on the arm, feeling sorry for him. "I'm sorry to hear that, Mister Yatch."

"No, it's okay," he said with a weak smile. "I didn't call you in here to tell you my life story anyways. No, this is about your job. How we handle a new employee's pay is pretty simple. For the first few months, instead of paying you Nine dollars an hour, we pay you on commission. You'll get a percentage of every sale you have for the first month you work here. Basically, for every hundred dollars you make for the store, you get ten dollars. Does that sound good?"

"That sounds perfectly fair, Mister Yatch." She extended her right arm, hand straight out.

Her boss smiled, reaching out to give her hand a shake. "Please, call me Burton."

[hr]

Henry's spoon clinked against the bottom of his empty bowl, shaking him out of his daze. Tara, sitting across from him, giggled. "Look, Mac. He's finally awake."

Mac, a somewhat pale man with scrawny limbs and a thick shock of dark hair looked up from the book he'd been reading. Smiling, he drawled out, "G'morning, sleeping beauty," Before dropping his eyes back down. Tara giggled again, wrapping an arm around Mac's shoulders.

"You back with the living, Henry?" She asked with a playful wink, leaning into Mac's side with a wide smile.

Henry blushed and looked down, crossing his arms over his chest at their jabs over him spacing out again.

Mac looked back up, closing his book and leaning against Tara gratefully. "Don't go buggin' him too much, Tara. He's no different than 'Ah was when 'Ah was pinin' o'er you."

Tara giggled and lifted up his hand, kissing the back of it. "Oh Relax, Mackie, you know I'm just teasing him. Henry knows I'd never be too mean or sour about it."

"Yeah, he knows, and so do 'Ah." Mac said, throwing an arm around Tara as he let the other swing out wide, almost hitting the table beside them. "An' ain't it the truth of tha' matter? The heart doth go where we ain't gone b'fore! If we didn't have our hearts ta lead us, then when would we e'er find that mythical oasis called love?"

Mac's arm was shoved out of the way as someone walked past, before plopping down in the chair next to Henry. "Stop being so... whatever [i]_that[/i]_ was, Mac. I like that you're crazy, but that's downright scary." Nick shook his head, looking at the others. "What, Rami didn't show?"

Henry stifled his silent laughter behind his hand. "What's wrong with him being poetic?"

"His accent. That's what."

Tara rolled her eyes. "Oh relax, Nick. He grew up in the farmlands. What are you expecting him to do, talk like a Brit...not that I'd mind that at all." She finished with a giggle, winking slyly at Mac.

Mac snorted. "Wot, you want me ta' talk like a city Brit, that it? Well, I've been watchin' lots of [i]_Doctor Who_[/i], and I read [i]_Great Expectations_[/i]_._ I can give you a bloody Brit's accent, one-four!"

"You don't even know what half of those phrases mean, do you?" Nick asked with a deadpan expression.

Mac grinned. "Pip-pip cheerio, and a top-a-tha-mornin' to you, too! Wot wot, bloody 'ell, I gots ta say 'ello, guvna!" He continued giving Nick a cheeky grin as Tara gave in to a fit of giggles.

The waitress laughed. "Alright, lad. No more British Telly for you till you've worked on your accents. You still had too much Southern Farmlad in you." She said in a clear, British accent.

Henry rolled his eyes. "How did we all become friends, seriously?"

Mac looked over at him with a serious look on his face. "Well, first, I ran into you when you were heading towards the park with a sleeping bag in the middle of winter, and I got you a room at the hotel I'd been working at. Nick and you met because you were the outcasts. You met my sis when I told you that you should get a dog or something, and then you an' I met Tara when we came here after I got fired. I still don't know how that lemur got into the manager's desk, nor why it was blamed on me."

Nick sighed. "If you don't know how the lemur got there, then who did it, Michael?" He asked with an exasperated tone of voice.

"Ah reckon he mighta had somethin' ta do with it, yeah. Prolly tryin' ta get in mah sistah's pants with some stupid thing he cooked up. He's terrible with animals. He's likely ta somehow choke a dog with a leash that ain't even attached."

Tara covered her mouth with a hand, slapping his shoulder hard with the other. "Mac! Manners!"

Nick, hands clenched tightly on the table, grunted in agreement rather than letting his anger at the comment get him kicked out. Again.

Henry nodded sadly. "I've seen him in action. He can't even get a cat to play with yarn, let alone sit nicely like Jackie."

Mac snorted. "'Ah don't even know why Yatch keeps that idiot 'round. Only things he ever does is screw up the register an' stare at mah sis."

Henry's eyes widened in disgust. "Stare at your sister inappropriately, I assume?"

"Naw, he's a complete gentleman when he strips 'er down with 'is eyes, Henry! A'course he's a total pig!"

Tara coughed into her elbow, Mac turning to look at her when the cough sounded suspiciously like the word 'hypocrite'.

"At least when [i]_'Ah_[/i] was lookin' at [i]_you[/i]_, y'all was [i]_likin'_[/i] it!"

Tara tittered, batting her bright blue eyes at him dotingly. "Oh, you're just [i]_asking_[/i] to get spanked, aren't you?"

Mac's cheeks colored as Nick laughed, Henry shaking his head ruefully. "Ah'm not gonna be the one gettin' spanked if ya keep jokin' like that, Tare-Bear."

Tara's eyes flashed mischievously. "Oh, I didn't know you liked it rough. Did you want to display your powers of domination now, or...?"

Henry cleared his throat loudly, his cheeks flushing slightly at where their conversation was going.

Nick got up, just as flustered as Henry. "I'm gonna go. I got... stuff to do. And... things. Bye." With that, Nick walked briskly to the door, down the street, and out of sight.

Henry checked his watch, and dropped a twenty on the table. "I gotta get back to work," he texted his friends as he headed out the door.

Tara looked at Mac, a cheshire's grin forming on her lips. "And then there were two," she said, her voice a low, husky growl.

"Three if you count me, missy!" Tara jumped out of her seat, face red as a freshly baked brick. "Yeah, you always seem to forget there's someone in the kitchen, huh? Well, we ain't all pretty enough to wait on our customers. Your break's over, anyways!"

"Yes, Mister Bates! Sorry!" Grenshaw Bates, the owner of the diner, grunted as he walked out of the back room.

"Yeah, yeah, just get back to work. If you ain't working, I don't gotta pay ya," He said nonchalantly as he walked back into the kitchen.

Mac snickered as he got out of his chair, stretching his limbs. "I should go, anyways. Got some clients 'Ah need to see at the studio. See ya later, sweetheart." He gave Tara a kiss on the cheek, and she smiled.

"You missed, silly." She locked her lips with his, but for a brief moment, before letting him go. "Now, you'd better not take any upskirt photos, you hear?"

Mac chuckled as he headed towards the door. "Ah know, 'Ah know. An' don't worry; 'Ah''ve got a single father an' his two kids comin' in fer their Christmas photos first thing today. After that, it's a bunch of repeats from last year." Pausing with the door open, he turned to look at Tara, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "See ya at six?"

Tara gave him a blushing smile. "Definitely."

[hr]

"I've always had a soft spot for calicos, but tabbies are also really cute. What do you think, Amanda?"

"That one's cutest!"

Octavia smiled. "Oh, I think so too!" The little girl smiled before turning to her mother.

"Mama, kitty! Please gedta kitty?" The girl gave her mother a pouty face that could make trained soldiers stop in their tracks and beg mercy for their sins as the unmoved Goddess of the Purse contemplated the kitty's fate.

"Oh... fine, let's get her." The mother smiled as her daughter began dancing around excitedly, jumping up and down and giggling up a storm. "How much is it to get a kitten, Miss..?"

"Octavia Cleff, at your service, ma'am! And it all really depends. If you decide to get a scratching post now, along with the basic set—that includes a litter box, litter, a food bowl, a water bowl, and a big bag of cat food—then you'd be looking at something around two hundred dollars. Well, if you're wanting to get the cool shiny stuff. At only eighty dollars, you can get the cheap stuff, but the kittens all seem to prefer the better quality stuff."

The mother [i]_hmmed_[/i] and nodded, mulling over what she'd said. "So, Victoria—"

"Octavia." She corrected.

The mother waved her hand dismissively, uncaring for her rudeness. "—Octavia. The better items would all last longer?"

"Yes, in tests done by scientists who study the safety of your family, as well as your pet, the better quality items are less likely to break." Octavia stated matter-of-factly, a benefit of memorizing the boring information about the products.

"But they can still break," she pointed out.

Octavia felt her eye twitch slightly. "Yes. Anything can break, given enough applied force. I'm no scientist—"

The mother looked at her as though insulted. "Then why are you trying to tell me what's better to get, using a scientist's hard work and effort?"

Octavia sighed quietly, putting more strength into her smile. "Because he did that work so I could help you choose what's best to get."

The women nodded tersely, a small frown on her lips. "How do you know the scientist isn't a female?"

"What? I don't—"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You automatically assumed that the scientist was male, by saying 'his work.' Maybe it was a girl who did it."

Octavia's practiced smile became a gruesome, and quite honestly painful looking mask of rage before once more becoming all smiles. "Here, why don't I get someone who's been working a bit longer than I to help you." The lady, for her part, offered no answer besides a small squeak of fear as Octavia turned away. "Michael! Customer service at the kitty corner!"

A young, lanky man in a too-big uniform popped out from around the corner a few seconds later, a too-wide smile on his face. "How can I help you, miss?" His eyes travelled up and down the customer's body, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"We'll just take whatever you think would work best. Come along, Amanda. We're getting you your kitty-cat."

"Wee~! I'm gun name'r Twitty-toes!" The kitten mewled as Amanda held it close, though quite softly for a kid her age.

Octavia watched after them with a satisfied smirk, when she suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine. "Michael," she said without turning around, "Are you looking at my butt?" There was a crash, and the sound of hurried footsteps closely followed by a clatter, and by the time she turned around, Michael was gone.

[hr]

Henry adjusted his bow tie, carrying his notepad as he approached his next clients of the late afternoon. Tapping his pad with a pen, he gave the elder couple a small, firm smile as he raised an eyebrow questioningly.

The lady scoffed, rolling her eyes as she muttered "how rude," Almost softly enough for Henry not to notice. He just kept smiling, waiting for them to speak.

A few moments later, the elderly gentleman coughed politely into a handkerchief, before addressing Henry. "Yes, I think that I'll begin with the escargot, followed by a filet mignon, medium well, and a nice chardonnay."

His wife snorted, giving him a small scowl. "You don't order a [i]_chardonnay[/i]_ in the afternoon, Carl! That's a dinner wine! Anybody who has even the [i]_smallest[/i]_ sense of class would know that, honestly!"

Henry shrugged his shoulders and looked at them over his notepad, pen at the ready as he waited for the lady to tell him her order.

The lady sat there, glancing back and forth between Henry and her menu. "Well? What are you waiting around for? I haven't decided yet; leave me be."

He nodded and bowed at the waist, heading towards a table closer to the front windows, and smiled as he bowed slightly. "Ah, Henry, how are you this afternoon? The sun glistening on the snow is a marvelous sight to behold, is it not?"

Henry nodded as some of the tension from his work shift left him. He'd always liked Jacob Carson. He was a nice man, always ready to make a joke about the other people who walked around like pompous buffoons.

Mr. Carson parted one of his slick brown locks of hair and smiled. "My boy, I think I'll have my usual today. And what of you, John?"

John, a young man still in high school, peered over his menu. "Uh... I'll have the steak... thing."

Henry cracked a grin. Scribbling on his notepad for a bit, he showed it first to Mister Carson, who nodded, and then to John, who looked relieved. Henry bowed and went back to the kitchen.

Upon receiving the orders, the cook snorted. "Giving John what he wants again, eh? Alright, two filet mignons— one medium well, the other well done— one escargot, and one hamburger, coming right up."

Henry nodded and went back to the other waiting customers. [i]_If I really do love Octavia, how do I even approach it?_[/i] He approached another table, smiling unconsciously as he let his hands take over for his ears. _[i]I can't just ask her out like no one's business. She is a classy girl after all._[/i]

"Hellooo~ I'm ready to order!"

Sighing quietly, Henry finished up with his current customer and approached her table. Smiling primly, he stood at attention as he waited for her to give him her order.

The lady glanced up, cocking an eyebrow as she returned her attention to her menu, Henry shifting nervously as she continued to hold her silence for a few moments longer. "Honestly, is there no one with _[i]manners[/i]_ in this restaurant? Are you going to ask me for my order, or are you too stupid to understand English?" Henry shuffled his feet as he tried to think of some way to placate his customer.

"Excuse me, Miss?" Henry looked up to see Octavia walking in, Jackie right behind her. "Why are you insulting Henry? Do you not know that it is rude to make fun of those that cannot speak?" Octavia asked the lady in a calm, dangerous voice.

For her part, the lady had the manners to look admonished as she blushed, only now noticing the few glares being set her way from other patrons. Gulping quietly, she spoke up. "Oh my...forgive me for my terribly uncouth transgression." She hesitated a bit, shifting in her seat as she tried to decide whether it would be better to slump away from the attention, or sit up and try to ignore it.

Octavia "hmphed" and looked at Henry again, adjusting his bow tie. "I thank you for your apology, miss. It is well received, and I hope you will try to be nicer in the future." Octavia turned to look at the lady one last time. "After all, being a lady of sophistication does not mean that we can treat others as if they are the dirt we deign not to trod on."

Henry rolled his eyes as he went into the back, giving the cook his last orders for the day before meeting up with her again. "I'm guessing Jackie and Mac came by to pick me up?" He wrote on his slate.

She nodded her head with another smile. "Quite right! Jackie offered to pick you up since Tara was still busy at the Cafe." Octavia said as they approached a large, beige, Jeep Wrangler, where Mac was behind the wheel.

"I hope you plan on putting the book down as you drive," Henry texted Mac's way.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Maybe next time we can just let you take the bus, hmm?" Henry rolled his eyes and got into the back seat next to Jackie and Octavia, who was sitting in the middle. "Hold on, you three! We still need to pick up Tara, and then we're gonna do a little pre-Christmas celebrating!"

[hr]

Octavia brushed her forehead with the sleeve of her shirt, wiping off the sweat she had worked up during the last two hours of work. "Oh my...when Henry told me the holiday rush would be gruesome, he wasn't kidding," she said to herself tiredly, grabbing the plates from her register and bringing it into the manager's office.

"Here you go Mr. Yatch. I also finished my side duties for the day." Octavia placed the plates down on the table and grabbing herself a drink from the water cooler and sitting down in one of the chairs in front of him.

Mr. Yatch counted the money and added it into the safe before pulling out a slip of paper and writing on it. "Octavia...I have to say, it was one of the best ideas Jackie's had to hire you, as you have boosted our revenue tenfold with your meticulous attention to customer satisfaction and detai—"

"That's not all she's satisfied!" Michael shouted as he walked past the door, on his way to the locker room.

Pinching his nose, Mr. Yatch breathed deeply and ignored Michael's rude interruption. "As I was saying, the way you've handled our customers has helped bring more business than I've seen in the past several months. You and Jackie are a combo knockout team; keeping customers happy and earning the sales by the time they leave." He said proudly, commending Octavia for her strong work effort.

Octavia could only blush at his praise, lowering her head as her cheeks blushed. "Y-you're too kind, Mr. Yatch. I just merely did my best." She said modestly.

Mr. Yatch laughed. "Your best has made a great impact on our store." He handed her the slip of paper. "That right there is the earnings you've stacked up in the last two and half weeks working here."

Octavia smiled at the sum of six hundred and fifty dollars. "Thank you very much!" She said happily. The payment was more than she usually got in bits playing a concert! "Say, Mr. Yatch, how much for the dog?" Octavia asked with a grin.

He looked at her confused. "Which one?"

She merely snapped her fingers and in strode the puppy Henry had shown great interest in, followed by Jackie who grabbed herself a cup of water and took a seat next to Octavia, holding the puppy in her lap.

"This one right 'ere." Jackie said with a chuckle, petting the dog softly.

"Well...his starting price is around a thousand dollars bare bones, but with your employee discount, I believe the price drops to around seven hundred dollars bone stock with the fifty percent discount on supplies," he said.

Octavia frowned and looked at the puppy, her shoulders slumping in defeat. [i]_I can't believe that after all that work, I still managed to come up short._[/i] Octavia thought bitterly, sighing. "I can't really afford him, Mr. Yatch." She admitted.

Jackie piped up. "Well shoot, girl! If ya' needed some help getting this little pup, ya' shoulda' jus' asked an' 'Ah would pitched in!" She said as she pulled out her wallet. "How much for the pup an' supplies with our discount?"

Mr. Yatch used his calculator and added up the total cost. "He'll cost around eight hundred, thirty two dollars, and forty-seven cents."

The southern girl smiled. "Charge the difference on mah card."

Octavia smiled brightly. "Thank you so much, Jackie! I promise to pay you back!" She squealed as she hugged her tightly.

Jackie laughed and patted her back. "Ya'll're very welcome, 'Tavi."

[hr]

The apartment was silent, like an old christmas tale, for the three current residents had consumed too much ale. Octavia was passed out, snoozing 'pon the bed, as little Vinyl Scratches played [i]_wubs[/i]_ in her head. Henry was silently snoring on the couch, when he rolled off of it, and thought to himself: [i]_ouch.[/i]_ He got up and looked around, rubbing his face. His apartment was a mess! Such a disgrace! He stumbled to the kitchen, on legs made of lead, trying to alleve the pounding in his head. He almost tripped over Tara, asleep by the fridge. He had to move her away, even if just a smidge. He pulled open the door, looking for the milk, when he heard a sound from behind him, like skin rubbed on by silk. He turned around, still feeling quite askew, but when he saw Octavia there, he felt like Peppe Le Pew. [i]_Wow, you are beautiful,[/i] _he thought to himself, as he stumbled a bit and caught his balance on a shelf.

Octavia smiled to him, still quite asleep. "Henry," she said, "Why are you a sheep?" He looked at her, dumbfounded, unable to speak. As she started forward once more, he let out a small squeak. "I'm quite thirsty," she said, mumbling almost to herself, as she grabbed the eggnog and a glass from the movie Elf.

She poured in her cup, a generous amount, before downing it so fast, Henry thought she might drown. She gave a small sigh as she finished her glass, and as she turned away, Henry looked towards the sink. [i]_I don't want to be rude,[/i]_ he thought though impaired, [i]_If I were her with a drunk, I would probably be scared.[/i]_

Octavia walked out of the small kitchen, before flopping on the couch, wishing her mind would quit bitchin'. She'd been less drunk than this when she first had appeared, did Humans have stronger drinks, or was it the time of year? She mulled that over, as best as she could, but she was too tired and hungry to think quite that good. There came a knock on the door, before it opened wide, and in came Mac with a powerful stride. He walked over to Tara, crouching down before her. "I told her to not drink so much," he said with a [i]_grr.[/i]_

Henry rolled his eyes, and looked for his phone. It was most likely here, somewhere in his home. The door opened once more, and Jackie walked in, she seemed quite surprised at the lack of a din. "Did y'all party too hard last night, Christmas eve?" She asked to the home, as she rolled up her sleeves. "Ah ain't seen ya that drunk since our last get-together," she said to Henry, who was still under the weather. She turned to see Octavia, sitting alone on the couch. "Hey li'l missy, why're you puttin' up with that slouch?"

Octavia shook her head, still quite dizzy. "I'm sorry, Jackie, but I was in quite the tizzy."

Her Southern friend smiled, an ear-to-ear grin, "Wull don't you worry none, Henry's present is in."

Henry looked up at his name, when he saw such a sight, one he'd ne'er forget, Octavia's squeal of delight. She jumped up and hugged Jackie's arm, leaping around, but not quite causing harm. She started pulling Jackie towards the door, when Jackie said "Woah, there! Tell Henry the score."

Octavia blushed and nodded, turning towards the mute. Her voice was lilting, like the notes of a flute. "I got you a present, since you're my first friend, I'd have gotten one for all, but I had little to spend. Your present consists," she said as she turned around, "One bowl, one bag, and a cute little hound!" At that same moment, Jackie walked into the room, with a dog on a leash, and the puppy barked happily as Henry's heart stopped with a screech.

Henry knelt to the floor, to hug the small dog, and everyone knew that he was quite agog. [i]_I know what to name him,[/i]_ he thought as he broke into a smile. [i]_I'll tell the rest of them... in a little while.[/i]_ Henry looked to his friends, both those old and the one new, and he knew that his heart had not lead him askew. He loved her, he could tell, with all of his heart. But would she love him back, or would it all fall apart? There is magic on Christmas, that much is true. But you don't need a fat man in a suit to yell it to you. So with friends and happiness abound, we shall end on this note, as Santa escapes from the town. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! For even those who are silent, can still sing with delight.

[hr]

"3..! 2..! 1..! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The ball in Times Square dropped, and the crowd cheered uproariously as Octavia, Henry, Tara, Mac, Jackie, and Nick all raised their glasses and made whatever noise they could. Even the puppy barked excitedly, running between their legs as they cheered.

"Ah gotta say, 'Ah'm happy for the new year! Can't wait ta see what new is in store for us!" Jackie gushed excitedly.

Henry's cheeks flushed, as his eyes locked their gaze with the ex-pony, breathing slowly as his heart began to pound harder. [i] _She looks so beautiful under the lighting...so happy and full of joy..._[/i]

Mac sipped his drink. "Definitely agree with you there, Jackie. 'Ah got a feeling in my belly that this new year is gonna be amazin'."

The silent young man's ears perked up at her laughter, eyes attracted to the smile gracing her features. [/i] _I gotta say it...I gotta say it! If I wait another minute, I'm going to lose my mind!_[/i]

"I must say that my first New Years here has been a very exciting one," Octavia admitted as she picked up the pup and scratched behind his ears, making him coo adorably.

Henry's felt his head thump in beat with his heart, the nerves seeping into his bones.[i]_This isn't hard! I j-just gotta be honest and be myself, right?_[/i]

Tara hugged Mac's side, kissing his cheek. "This year is gonna be full of surprises, that's one thing for sure."

Henry's breathing became more shallow as his heart yearned to feel more connected to the Cello player. [i] _This is it. I'm gonna go up to her, pull her aside, and tell her just how much she's coiled around my heart,_[/i] he thought, nearly breathless as he slowly passed by Jackie, Mac, and Tara, his vision completely focused on one person and one person only.

_[i]Alright, Henry, this is it...[/i]_ He pulled out his phone and began typing on it, Octavia looking at him curiously as he tried to get the words out right.

"Is everything alright, Hen-"

She gasped quietly as she saw the message written in front of her.

"You are the fire that burns me sweetly, the sea that rocks me gently. I feel calm with you in life's storm; you are my center. Throughout the time you've been in my life...I have never felt happier than I have now. You have taught me how to rediscover myself in ways even I don't understand. What I'm trying to say is...I love you, Octavia."

Octavia looked up, flustered. "O-oh, Henry... I'm sorry, but..." She wanted to say more, to say that she still missed her friends, her family, and that starting a relation would be hard, but even she would know that that was a lie. Octavia liked Henry, bt as it was, he was still only a friend. "I-I'm sorry, Henry; I feel absolutely dreadful, I do, but... I can't love you... not now. It wouldn't be fair to fall for you, when Vinyl might find me. If... If it comes to pass that there's no hope left, then maybe you could court me. Until then, Henry..." She gave him a hug, feeling his sobs rack his body, silent though they were. "I won't leave you, Henry. I still need you, and I can help you in return, but please. Not this soon. I just can't, Henry... I just can't."


	6. S2 Episode 1: Wubs and Dubs

**[b]Chapter 1: Wubs and Dubs[/b]**

The somewhat quiet night was shattered with a strangled yell, and the tinkling of broken glass as a set of turntables blasted out the window of a two-story flat; a light blue aura propelling them forward. "Celestia bucking [b]**dammit!**[/b]"

Vinyl Scratch stomped down the steps and out the front door, giving her turntables a swift kick before continuing on her way. Beside her floated a small group of bottles, each with an earth pony bucking an apple tree, a lampshade on his head. Stumbling, Vinyl cursed again and pulled off her shades, crushing them under her hoof without a care. Her eyes darted about blindly, a cold glaze covering bloodshot red eyes as she made way to one of the few spots in town that gave her any peace.

Pushing past some of the foliage near the edge of town just past the border between Sweet Apple Acres and Whitetail Wood, she plodded up a cleared path with only the moon for a guiding light. She continued upwards for several minutes through the somewhat thick forest until she emerged in a large field where even Luna's night felt ever so closer to touching her. Vinyl looked up at the moon and sighed, slowly walking towards the cliff edge at the end of the field, where she sat down and let her hind hooves dangle freely as she set down the bottles.

Grasping one of the opened bottles with her magic, she lifted it up to her mouth, tilting her head back as she steadily knocked the rest of the strong alcohol back, nearly choking on the burning in her throat. Sighing, she licked her lips and looked out beyond the cliff at the forest that laid below.

"Tavi...I—" Vinyl stopped and bit her lip, trembling a bit as she tried to find the right words to say.

"I...I miss you so much..." She confessed quietly, grabbing another bottle and opening it, staring down the neck of it with a sad frown.

"In all the months since you've gone missing, things have just never really...you know, been the same. At first everypony was worried when you went missing and...we all tried looking for you." Her shoulders tensed up as a scornful look dripping with rage broke on her muzzle. "Then...[i]_then_[/i] those bucking jack mules all gave up after two months! [i]_Two months!_[/i]" She seethed with anger, her magic squeezing the bottle until cracks began to appear in it. Bringing it to her lips, she drank the entire bottle in one go before throwing it over the cliff, relishing in the explosion of glass and startled cries from the wildlife.

"I'm...[i]*hic*[/i]...the only pony still lookin'. I don't [i]care[/i] that it's been over six bucking months!" Vinyl screamed to the heavens, her expression darkening further. "I'm going to find you, even if it [i]*hic*[/i] kills me!"

Vinyl Scratch magicked over another bottle and drank deeply from it before also throwing it off the cliff, her emotions becoming a melting pot of anger, spite, and sorrow.

"I've been doing my besht, tahvi... yuh'd bedduh be doin thuh same." She reached a hoof out, trying to grab another bottle, only to find that they were all gone. "Tch, fersht mah besht frnd, now mah besht drenk. Eryshing's leaven me..." Vinyl hung her head, a sob escaping as she leaned forward, staring straight down where a few small sparkles showed where her booze bottles had gone. "Tha booz is closhur...Jusht gotta leeeeeen a biiit more. Jusht a bit mo', n' Ah -hic- Ah c'n be wif dem again."

Her balance began to teeter forward over the edge, the glass shards shining like stars to her. Just as she stretched her forehooves forward, something grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her a fair distance away with ease.

Vinyl frowned and looked for the source of her frustration, only to see purple.

"Shebrry...Pfunch?" She asked drunkenly with a lopsided grin, tilting her head and falling onto her side.

Berry Punch sighed and faced-hoof. "Vinyl, what the [i]_buck[/i] _were you [i]_thinking[/i]_ co,ing out here by yourself at this time of night? You know we've gone over this at [i]_least_[/i] a thousand times before! If you want to grieve, I understand and can't stop you from whatever coping method you use, but for the love of Luna, stay in your house!" She said sternly, the concern clean on her face.

Vinyl just hiccuped, turning her face away and trying to get back on her hooves. "No-_[i]hic[/i]_-now lishen 'ere, Berriariari... Imma... I'm a grown mare'n... uh... I c'n _[i]hic[/i]_ can take carra m'self. Just... turn off the moon, wulja?" Vinyl raised a hoof over her face, groaning as the deep-cutting light of the moon pierced her eyes and drilled straight into her brain. "I's too early fer it tuh be liek dish..."

Berry laid down beside her friend, running a hoof along Vinyl's cheek softly. "Vinyl, you can't stay like this forever... You need to go forward."

Vinyl gasped, her eyes suddenly focused. "No."

"Vinyl... Is this what Octavia would want? If she showed up tomorrow, would she like what she saw? Or would she be disgusted?"

Vinyl was shaking her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "No, no, no no no nononononono! No!"

"Vinyl-"

**[b]"Shadduuuup!"[/b]** Vinyl panted as she held her head, the strength leaving her as fast as it had come. "Just... shudup... please," she whimpered, closing her eyes tight against the flood of tears. "I just... I killed 'er, dinn't I? _[i]Didn't I, Berry?![/i]_" Vinyl let herself slump to the ground once more. "I lost her in a teleport. I can't do a group teleport, but she was too close when I jumped. Not close enough, though..." Vinyl whimpered again as Berry wrapped her forelegs around her.

"Vinyl, you know as well as I do that even if she _[i]had[/i]_ died during it, her body would have turned up somewhere. She's still out there, Vinny. She's still alive. She just needs help getting back. She needs help coming home, that's all."

Vinyl nodded, unable or unwilling to argue further. "She's scared, isn't she? Alone. Cold. Lost... She needs my help, Berry. She _[i]needs[/i]_ me..."

Vinyl trailed off, her breathing calm, her body relaxed. Berry sat with her, rocking her back and forth slowly, before finally picking her up and making her way back towards town. "Don't worry, Vinyl," Berry whispered over her shoulder. "Octavia will be just fine, you'll see. She's a resourceful girl, she can take care of herself."

[hr]

"Gyah! Huah! Hyeeah!" Octavia panted, her hand quivering as she tried to hold her stance.

"Octavia, relax your stance. Bring your right foot forward more. Control your breathing. Look at your opponent. Don't forget about your surroundings. Stay calm, focused."

Octavia gulped back a lungful of air, shifting her weight forward until her arm stopped shaking. Her opponent, a 16 year old col- boy with short-cropped hair and dark eyes looked back, his stare boring into her, his face a mask of discipline.

"Good, you may rest." In an instant after the man watching them spoke, the boy's eyes returned to the cheerful goofiness that had made her smile when she'd first walked into the dojo. He only took his training seriously, and she was glad to have someone as a sparring partner. He'd pushed her hard in the past few weeks, with different training techniques he'd been taught and others he'd developed. Of course, since he was also the sensei's grandson, he'd been training a lot longer than even some of the older students.

He was also a total flirt. "That was good, Oc-chan, very good! You've been getting better, and so quickly! I've never seen a girl that could punch so hard with such little training!"

That was something else she'd found. Apparently, she had kept most of her strength, if not her mass. While toning her muscles would be a pain in Equestria, here she was already stronger than when she'd first arrived. Taking the compliment at face value, she bowed and returned to her seat on the mats to watch the next pair spar. As the two boys stood and took their places, she looked around the small mirror-walled room that made up most of the dojo and smiled. It reminded her of a dance hall she used to go to as a young filly, and it was far from being different when compared to self-defense training houses found in Equestria.

Henry gave her a thumbs up from where he sat, smiling at her performance. She nodded back, taking a calming breath as she turned back to watch the two currently sparring.

They were definitely much more skilled than she was, and they knew each other well enough that they looked more as if they were dancing than fighting. _Those two are younger than I am, but are also stronger, and far better trained. They must have a great drive to excel to be where they are now at such an age. Most foals would only just be getting into an apprenticeship with somepony that has a similar cutie mark to their own. Humans really can be amazing._ One of the fighters misjudged his stance, and ended up tripping. His opponent brought a hand down in a swift chop, halting at the base of the neck, giving a gentle tap to let the loser know he'd lost. The two stepped away, both breathing somewhat heavily, and bowed before taking their seats.

"Next week I wish to see you again, and remember what you've learned. If you can find the time, then practice your stances, breathing techniques, or even meditate for an hour. Class is dismissed." The sensei bowed, holding the position as the class did the same.

As the class disbanded and headed towards the locker rooms in the back, the sensei spoke once more. "Ah, Miss Octavia, please, I'd have a word."

Octavia shot her sparring partner a look, who gave her a reassuring grin. Turning back to her sensei, she gave him a deep bow. "Yes, Sensei?"

"Come now, you can call me Mr. Yoshitaka now that class is over, or Master Yoshi if you prefer to be formal."

"Master Yoshi, then. What do you wish to talk about?"

"Your performance, my dear. Please, sit with me." Octavia did as she was told, sitting on her knees as women were apparently supposed to (probably because of the uniform she and the other female students were wearing) and waited for Yoshi to do the same.

"You've improved greatly since you first showed up with the mute man over there," he said, nodding towards Henry with a small smile. "But you still keep trying to follow a stance that is not in this style's teachings. I'm going to assume that you had learned from a different defense class? Tae-kwon-do, perhaps? Kung Fu may have a few... similarities, but if you are going to train under different arts, you must prepare your body to handle and recognize both. Just as how I had to prepare my mind to learn English, so students like you would understand. Learning to fight is just like learning to speak: you use your entire body, and even the slightest hesitation or mistake can lead to bad things. Just how a single word misspoken can start a war, so can a single step misplaced be what lets someone attacking you deal the final blow. Trying to learn too much at once can be stressful, Miss Octavia, and I do not like burdening my students with undue work."

"Don't worry, Master Yoshi," Octavia said as she placed her forehead to the mat, bowing completely. "I am up to the task, and I shall do my best. It is true this isn't in the same style as I first tried learning, but I'll find the rhythm and then I can show you how good I can be."

Master Yoshi laughed. "Good, good, my dear! It always makes me happy to hear that there are still those who value my teachings to actually put forth effort! Now away with you! Class is over, and I believe your friend is getting impatient." Octavia nodded and, with a smile to Henry, trotted into the girl's locker room to change.

[hr]

"Go, Totadile!"

"Pika-pi! Chuuu!"

"You're right, we can't let them get away! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Octavia turned from the television and the odd show she'd found a week prior when she felt Henry tap her shoulder. "Is dinner ready, Henry?" Henry nodded, giving her a small smile as she turned off the TV and made her way towards the table, pausing only long enough to pet Fortissimo, taking a seat across from her house mate.

Henry sat down and dipped his egg roll in sweet and sour sauce, eagerly biting into it.

Octavia followed suit, her stomach feeling like an empty hole a mile wide after all the training she'd done that afternoon. After her Kung Fu classes, she'd gone to the gym and lifted weights for half an hour, before running laps on the indoor track. She still wasn't as fast as she had been as a pony, but with only half the legs, she could only run half the speed. She was always practically starving by the time they got back to Henry's apartment, and today they had a wide variety of oriental food, some home-cooked, other delivered.

Henry tapped the table to draw Octavia's attention, and motioned with his hand. Without thought, Octavia motioned back in a similar way, adding a thumbs-up to the end. Henry smiled as he took another bite, his slate left forgotten on the table as the two shared a pantomimed conversation.

The gestures were something they'd come to associate to certain instances. _Do you like your food? How's the water, too hot? That looks good on you. What do you think?_ Human faces weren't as expressive as equine faces were in Equestria (Octavia didn't even want to think about the ponies she'd seen here on Earth, they were creepy...), but she and Henry had been living together now for a long time. Even though he had friends other than her, Octavia had seen how they'd come around every now and then, but otherwise Henry was alone. There was always something that they missed out on, a trip to the movies, a night at a club, a day just spent hanging out in the park. With such little contact, it was no wonder Henry seemed so distant. She'd helped with that, she could tell, but she wanted to do more...

"Hey, Henry, I was wondering..." Henry looked up, nodding so she knew he was listening. "Can we go to an amusement park? Tomorrow, maybe?" Henry thought about it, and shrugged noncommittally, waving a hand to say 'maybe.' Octavia smiled and dug into her meal with renewed vigor. She was going to make this work.

[hr]

The two of them worked, diligently washing all the dishes. Octavia dipped them in the soapy water, handed them to Henry, who'd scrub them clean before giving them back to Octavia to rinse them off and place them on the rack.

After several minutes of straight cleaning, Octavia accidently dropped a plate into the sink, splashing Henry. He pouted playfully as she giggled loudly before shuddering when cold water drenched her entire shirt.

Henry mutedly laughed with the hose still in his hands, smirking widely as Octavia took a stance.

"Oh...it. Is. On~!" Octavia shouted playfully, splashing him with soapy water in the face.

Henry wiped his face off and sprayed her again, ducking low to avoid another splash that soaked Fortissimo who had been calmly eating from his food bowl.

Fortissimo turned around and jumped at them, barking loudly as the three playfully fought. Soon enough, the kitchen was a soapy, watery mess with two people and a tired puppy panting slightly as they sat on the floor in a pile.

Octavia began to chuckle, and Henry began to tremble as the two of them tried to catch their breath. "Oh, Henry, this reminds me of cleaning with Vinyl. She'd always make it a competition to stave off tedium. 'Who can make the most bottles into the trash can?' or 'Let's spin dry these dishes!' Oh, that one I made her clean up herself, and I made her promise not to bring her turntables into the kitchen ever again." Octavia sighed wistfully, her smile shrinking slightly before fading completely. "I miss her. I miss my friends, my band. They've most likely replaced me already, by now. It'd be completely foolish of me to expect them to hold my position open for longer than a month..."

Octavia sighed again, resting her hands on the counter. "I wonder how they've been doing since I left. Have they gotten better? Hit hard times? We weren't the greatest of friends, but we were still band members... I wonder if Pinkamena's thrown a search party, or if that party's over? How long did it take before they gave up, or are they still searching?"

Henry put a hand on Octavia's shoulder, pulling her into a soft embrace. Tears silently rolled down her face as her body started shaking. "I'm sorry, Henry, I just... I'm s-sorry..." Henry just continued to hold her, letting her pour her emotions out. She hid her emotions well, even better than he did, probably. But, even so... Even he knew that everyone had to cry once in a while .

[hr]

Vinyl's eyes moved back and forth as they followed Ponyville's only librarian, Twilight Sparkle. The studious mare had been contemplating her request before her eyes widened as an idea came forth.

"Vinyl, there might actually be a way to trace your magic back to Octavia and figure out where sh—" Before Twilight could even finish explaining, Vinyl Scratch hugged her so tightly, she felt her windpipe throbbing for air.

"C-can't...breathe..." Twilight mustered out pathetically.

"Sorry!" Vinyl said with a chuckle, letting Twilight fall into a heap on the floor.

The librarian recomposed herself, clearing her throat before continuing her spiel. "As I was saying, we [i]_can_[/i] trace it back to the source, but its going to take a lot of energy and time for this to work."

Vinyl's posture deflated at the big caveat. "How long are we talking?"

Twilight pursed her lips, wetting them as she tried to stall herself. "It could be days, weeks, months...even years before I could find the magical signature to trace back."

"[i]_YEARS!?_[/i]"

"I'm really sorry Vinyl, but it's a very complex spell that takes a lot concentration to be able to properly focus, channel, and hold for lengthy periods at a time."

The DJ stood up and slowly walked to the door. "It's fine. Thanks, Twilight...just uh...try your best I guess..." She said sadly, her eyes brimming with tears as she walked out the door before Twilight could stop her.

Twilight sat on her haunches and sighed. "I owe this to her...She's been a wreck ever since Octavia went missing." A fire burned in her purple eyes as she stood up and began to magic several books towards her study table. "Spike!"

"Way ahead of ya, Twilight!" The baby dragon threw open the door to the library's kitchen, a steaming pot of coffee and a mug in his claws. "If there's one thing you can accuse me of being when it comes to you and books, Twi, it's being genre savvy. Speaking of, it looks like you don't have [i]_Moogle's Infinite Search[/i] _or _[i]Sting's Aether Archiver[/i]_ out. Want me to grab them for you?"

"Not right now, Spike, though maybe in a little while. If you could get Vinyl and bring her back so _[i]Barken Mad's Magical Hound[/i]_ can get a 'scent' of her magical aura, that'd be great. It would help to lessen the time I'll need."

"You got it, Twi!" With a small salute, Spike ran out the library's front door, leaving the purple unicorn alone with her books and her first cup of coffee. It was already shaping up to be a long night, and the sun was still high in the sky.

"We'll find her, Vinyl, trust me. Pinkie's been asking me for help, too, and I just need time. All I know is that she's not anywhere in Equestria. But we'll find her," Twilight whispered to herself as she levitated over a stack of scrolls and quills. "I Pinkie Promise."


	7. S2 Episode2: Nick Nagged, Pally-wagged

**Chapter 2: Nick Nagged, Pally-wagged, Give a dog a bone.**

_[i]It was a dark and stormy night..._

_... When the vampires awoke from their slumber...[/i]_

A high-pitched, female scream splits the air, the vampires all swarming a small village where a number of the folk seemed to be extremely squeaky-voiced women. "I'm telling you, Henry, humans might have the technology to make all these movies, but they don't have the character! That's why it's those with a [i]_talent[/i] _for acting are actors, instead of just any old pony. The only play put on by ponies who aren't full-time actors is the Hearth's Warming pageant. And, of course, school plays, but still."

Octavia kept muttering and rambling and generally being unamused with the terrible "horror" movie they had found while surfing the TV's channels. It seemed that vampires were legendary in both worlds, and thankfully, they didn't sparkle in either.

A knock sounded from the door, and Octavia got up to see who it was, using the peep hole like she'd been told to. "Hello? Who is it?"

A muffled "It's me," came from the other side and, with a twist of a lock, a ruffled Nick walked in. After angrily kicking off his shoes at the door, he plopped himself on the couch.

"What brings you over, Nick?" Octavia asked as she sat down once more. "I don't think we were expecting company."

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. Don't feel like being at home, though." Henry reached over and gave Nick a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Nick and his mother tended to get into heated arguments over menial issues and nothing was helped if alcohol was involved.

Octavia didn't, but she knew enough not to ask. Nick would either get mad or depressed, and she and Henry couldn't afford to patch another wall this month. "Would you like some popcorn, Nick?" She held out the half full bowl, and he reached in, pulling out a small handful.

"Thanks," he murmured as he brought the food to his mouth, eyes flicking to the TV and back to Octavia. "What's this?"

"Oh, I don't know, some old vampire movie. It's complete rubbish. Dreadful not for what it has, but for what it lacks."

"Sounds like almost every movie from the 60's."

Henry gave him a half-lidded look, Fortissimo barking in agreement with his silent master.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Fortie," Nick said as he scratched the small puppy behind the ears.

Fortissimo, for his part, tried to look angry, but instead cooed and leaned into Nick's touch, his small tongue lolling out as he enjoyed the attention.

Octavia giggled and shook her head at the pup's antics. "Only you, Fortissimo." She chastised playfully, picking up the dog and sitting him in her lap, rubbing his chin.

It was quiet for an hour or so, with just the occasional mutter about how poorly executed a shot in the movie was or how bad the actors were when "dying." Octavia was on her third trip to the kitchen for more popcorn (and the three of them were on the second movie in the marathon), when another round of knocking came from the door, prompting Fortissimo to jump off Nick's lap and run to the door, barking happily.

"I'll get it," Octavia called as she quickly made her way from the kitchen to the door.

The moment the door opened, Fortissimo jumped up eagerly, surprised to be caught in the waiting arms of Jackie. "Howdie there, Forti!" She gushed. "How ya doin', pup?" Jackie asked, rubbing his belly as she carried him back into Henry's home.

"What brings you here, Jackie? You'd usually call ahead if you were dropping by."

"Ah' came by to say hello, and to drop off your check. Why have ya wait when it's better to just bring it to ya since I know where ya live." She gave a low chuckle as she pulled out a small envelope and handed it to Octavia. "Happy Pay Day, 'Tavi."

"Oh, thank you! I've been saving up for a while, but I'll need to go shopping soon." Octavia motioned into the house. "Why don't you come in and visit for a while?"

"Reckon I'd enjoy that," Jackie said, kicking off her boots and giving Octavia a friendly hug. "What do ya'll got goin' on in here?"

"You're offering a very welcome distraction from a variety of atrociously amateur actors!" Octavia giggled as they entered the living room.

Jackie chuckled as well. "That sounds just dandy," she said as they made their way back to the couch, Jackie looked up to see a young man she didn't recognize. He was tan skinned, wearing glasses and had a look of pure hatred in his eyes. His body, while not toned like her's was after her years of exercise, was well-kept and light of fat.

Jackie squinted at the young man and offered her hand with a smile on her face. "Tha name's Jackie, pardner! What's yours?"

"Nick." He made a small motion towards her hand and then seemed to twitch, instead putting his hands in his pockets. "Henry's friend."

Jackie raised her eyebrow at the gesture but didn't think much of it. "Shoot, Ah' ain't seen ya 'round b'fore," she said, gaining a curious expression.

"I saw you at the New Year's party," replied Nick.

"Really?" Nick merely nodded in response. With that, Jackie joined Octavia on the couch. "Anyway, whatcha savin' up for, 'Tavi?"

"It may seem silly," Octavia replied. "But I love classical music and I've decided to take up the cello."

Jackie started laughing and even Nick managed a small chuckle. "Well shoot, girl! That's pretty neat! Maybe ya'll get in the college band with Henry here." Jackie sat back and after gratefully taking a handful of popcorn, began to speak in a slightly wistful tone. "Plus it's good for a girl ta' want somethin' of her own."

Octavia rejoined her friends on the couch. "Did you ever have something like that, Jackie?"

"Yea," Jackie half groaned, half chuckled. "When Ah was younger, Ah wanted ta take over fer me Mom n' Dad when they passed on."

"Well whatever happened to it?" Octavia asked.

"Y'see, we lived on a farm down south, but we were a poorer family. Our farm got bought up by some big-wig company, an' we was all _[i]replaced[/i]_ by somma those fancy-schmancy self-operatin' tractors an' all that hooey." She reached out for another mouthful of popcorn before continuing. "Our dog, Willus, got ran over by the guy who bought our farm's pretty little Rolls Royce. An' you know what he said? 'Yer dog scratched up my new car. You're paying fer it.' He didn't give a _[i]damn[/i]_ that he'd ran over mah _[i]dog![/i]_ I wanted ta get inta 'is car an' see how _[i]he[/i]_ handled bein' turned inta pancakes!" Jackie snatched another handful of popcorn and glared down the floor, tapping it loudly with her foot as she shoved the popcorn into her mouth.

"Wow, what an incredible dick!" Nick shouted, the few muscles he had bulging as he made motions as if squeezing someone's neck. "I... _[i]hate[/i]_ fuckers like that. If anyone tried to hurt my dogs, I'd... I dunno. I'd probably kill them. Definitely, if they did so." His breath rattled as he shook with rage before relaxing as Fortissimo placed his front paws on his leg, keening slightly to get the man's attention. "Yeah, you too, buddy. I'm sorry..."

Ignoring Nick's burst of rage, Octavia looked back at Jackie. "Whatever did you do next?" she asked sympathetically.

"Ah' ended up Ah' movin' out here. Ah found that li'l pet shop up in tha mall. It was havin' trouble 'cause the last employee that wasn't Michael finally upped and quit. Ah' love animals, an' my goal is ta one day be able to take care of any animals Ah' can. Maybe explore the world, or somethin'. Ah' wanna make sure animals get treated as somethin' more than a nuisance. Stupid, Ah know, but that's what Ah aim ta do."

Nick gave half-hearted chuckle. "That's not stupid at all," he said with a smirk. "I think everyone should want to help out animals that way." His statement earned a smile from Jackie as Fortissimo barked happily and jumped up on the couch only to settle in Henry's lap.

A bang and some canned music came from the TV as a futuristic city-scape began to crumble like tin foil as the air was sucked out of the city's protective dome. A man, perhaps the main character of the movie, panned onto the screen and wavered around without really changing his stance other than waving his arms and giving a very bored sounding "aaaaAAAAAaaaAAAAHHHhhhhHHHhh h" that was out of sync with how he was zoomed in and out from on camera, before he finally panned away and was sucked out into space.

"This is possibly even worse than the last movie we watched, Henry!" Octavia groaned. "What is with all these movies? Were these really considered good theatre? Seriously, while a marvel in and of itself because of the fact I can watch it from your living room, I must say that an actual play would be better!"

The man once more was shown on screen, but this time he looked to be growing in size compared to his surroundings, until he 'popped' with a flash of white light and was gone from view.

"I'd say that I'd not like living on this planet any longer, but I fear that I might find one with even _[i]worse[/i]_ entertainment. Henry, is there nothing better we can do?"

Henry thought for a moment before a thought struck him and he looked over to his game collection. _[i]'I wonder if she'd find[/i]_ The Beatles Rock Band [i]_interesting...'[/i] _While he proceeded to set up the X-Box, Jackie and Nick had struck up a small conversation about their dogs, which seemed to improve Nick's mood. Henry smiled at them and pulled up his copy of [i]The Beatles Rock Band[/i]. Showing the game case to his friends, he awaited their input.

Jackie whistled. "The Beatles, huh? Been a while since Ah've listened to their music. Ah' wouldn't mind it!"

Nick, same as ever, just shrugged. "I bet you still haven't beaten my high score, Henry."

Octavia looked a bit unsettled. "Eww, they make movies about bugs?" Henry's shoulders shook with mute mirth so much that he took a seat on the floor, Fortissimo bounding over to make sure he was alright. Octavia, face reddening with embarrassment sputtered. "Wh-what? I don't _like_ bugs! They're... eugh... They've got too many legs!"

_[i]'Says the one-time pony,'[/i] _Henry thought.

Jackie laughed deeply. "Oh, Tavi, that's a good one! Ya'll [i]_gotta[/i]_ know The Beatles! After all, they was one a' the greatest bands around."

Nick nodded his head in agreement. "Lucy's one of their best songs, though Eleanor Rigby will always be my favorite."

Jackie chuckled. "Shoot, an' Ah had you pegged as an _Avenged _fan. Maybe even _Disturbed._"

Nick shrugged. "What's wrong with liking more than one genre? It's like saying Doberman are better than Labradors. It's just not true. Dobs are good for guarding, but Labs are better as pets. There's no one dog that beats the rest, just as there's not one band that is better than every other."

Soon, the group was underway reliving the highlights of the band's career, all the while teaching Octavia about the band whenever the game couldn't fill in and— almost as importantly— teaching her the basics of playing a guitar.

Henry nailed a glowing drumming section, helping the group activate Beatlemania for the fourth time in "Hello Goodbye". By now Octavia had gotten to grips with the guitar and was doing quite well on Medium. Everyone else was playing on either Hard or Expert, but she didn't mind.

"Hela, heba, helloa. Hela, heba, helloa. Hela, heba, helloa." Sang out Jackie, Nick, and Octavia in harmony while Henry nodded along as the song ended on a cheery high note before suddenly ending.

"Good'n, 'Tavi!" Jackie clapped Octavia on the back a little too hard, making her almost drop the guitar.

Henry lightly drummed on her arm, nodding his approval at her quick and excellent progress at rhythm games. "You already know music so I'm not surprised." He wrote on his slate.

"Yeah, what instrument did you play again? A violin or whatever?" Nick asked lamely with a small yawn.

"No, Nick, I played a Cello." Octavia corrected, her eye brow knitting slightly in annoyance.

"Same difference, right? I mean, both can sound pretty kickass in classical music."

The Cellist looked at him oddly before carefully wording her response. "I might not know about the kicking of Donkeys... but I would wager a guess that, yes, they both... "kick ass"... in classical music. ...I much prefer calling myself a contemporary, though," she muttered.

Nick decided to shrug it off with a small chuckle. It seemed to him as though the girl did not have much of a sense of humor.

"Well, as fun as that was, Ah' need ta get on home."

Nick sighed as he put down his instrument. "Yeah, me too. It's still a bit cold out at night."

Jackie looked at Nick, her eyes a bit intense. "... Nick, ye're walkin' home?"

"Eh, yeah. Why not? It's not far..."

Henry just looked at him with a flat expression. _'No, not far at all; only halfway across town...'_

Jackie looked outside. At some point during their time together, it'd begun to rain. "Well, that settles it. It's rainin'. Ah' cannot, in all good conscience, let a friend a mone walk home in tha' rain if Ah' can help 'im out."

"No, really, it's fine. I've walked it before, and haven't gotten sick..." Nick shuffled his feet and looked away.

":... Yeah. _[i]Right.[/i] _Welp, time ta go!" Jackie grasped his hand tightly, and Fortissimo growled playfully as he grabbed onto his pants and started for the door. "See, Nick? Even the pup's got more sense than you, he knows Ah'll take good care a'ya!"

Octavia stepped out momentarily before returning with a raincoat for Nick, holding it out towards him. "I think you'll be needing this, Nick."

Nick stared at the raincoat with hesitance, a small blush creeping up his neck. "I- well... thanks, I guess, but—" He was interrupted before he could argue further.

"Ah-ah! The only 'but' Ah' wanna see is yours as it heads out that door an' to the passenger seat of mah Jeep, ya hear?"

"I..." Nick let his statement hang for a moment before he sighed in resignation. "Yes, ma'am..."

"Don't you ma'am me, mister," Jackie playfully chided with a wink and a light smack on the shoulder. "You'll call me either Jackie or Jacqueline, whichever ya'll prefer, mmkay?"

"Right," he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with the hand that wasn't held captive in Jackie's grasp. "Jackie then..."

"Right! Less' go!"

With that, Jackie forced him out the door, ignoring how he stumbled over himself in his effort to keep up with her as they marched through the rain and into her bright orange Jeep Grand Cherokee.

"Ya buckled in, Nick?"

"Uh... y-yeah?"

"Good! There's only three rules in this here Jeep, ya got that?"

"Okay?"

"The rule's like this: Get in, sit down, shut up, an' [i]_hold on[/i]_, hooowie~!"

Nick was only able to scream loudly in fear as she peeled off from Henry's parking lot, leaving skid marks in her wake before the wheels caught traction again.

"Are you trying to kill us!?" He yelped, eyes dilated as he felt his heart pump hard against his chest.

"Eenope!" She yelled back, her tone bubbly with barely suppressed laughter. "By the way! Where d'you live?"

"Kind of far, actually. Sure you wanna drive me—"

"Yup! Ah' already told ya! Ah'd never leave a friend out in tha' cold!"

"We... only just met, and you're already considering me a friend?" Nick looked at her, bewilderment and shock evident on his face.

"Well, yeah! How long do y'all think it took fer me n' 'Tavi ta become friends? One argument on the cuteness of Tabbies versus the fierceness of Terriers! Ah' still don't know who won that argument!"

He couldn't suppress his laughter at her comment, as he wondered if this girl acted like this with every new person she met. Something told him that that might not be the case...

But maybe that was just the hunger pangs he was feeling. Almost as if sensing his stomach's unvoiced cries, Jackie slowed down and came to a stop at a corner with a Burger King. "Hm? Why'd we suddenly stop?"

"Ya sound like ya'll haven't had a bite to eat in days!"

"Ehh, you heard that over the engine?" Nick's face contorted between a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and embarrassment.

"Naw, I heard yer stomach growlin' b'fore we set off. Why ya think Ah' went so fast without knowin' where y'all lived? Ah' still need ya ta tell me where ta go from here," she said with a giggle as she pulled into the drive-thru.

"I... guess I just blamed women's intuition."

"Oh-ho-ho, you callin' me a lady now?"

Nick spluttered. "No- I mean, I dunno, I just—"

"Pfff, don't worry, sugah, Ah' understand. Ah'm juss' teasin's all. Now, what'd ya like ta order?"

"Just a burger will suffice," Nick grunted.

"Mmkay, if yer sure. Oi, I'll take a Whopper with a large fry, large Coke, an' a burger, please!"

"Okay, anything else?" the cashier asked over the crackling speaker.

"Naw, that's all."

"Alright, your to—-teen cents. Please pull up to the next window!" Neither of them could understand what the cashier said as the speaker broke down further.

"Sounds like the darn thing's busted again," Jackie commented as she pulled a twenty out of the center console. Sighing to herself, she pulled up to the drive-thru register.

"That'll be fifteen dollars and seventeen cents," the cashier said as she waited for the payment.

Nick pulled his wallet out and grabbed a twenty dollar bill. "Here you go, Jac—"

Jackie shoved his hand away as she handed her money over and took her change. "Put that away, mister. Ah' already told ya that Ah'm takin' care of ya, so allow me."

The cashier smiled and winked at Jackie. "Ooohh, on a date, Jackie?"

Jackie chuckled and shot the cashier a wink. "Maybe Ah' am, Tiffany; jus' maybe~" The two of them giggled as Nick flushed, looking away from the two girls and scratching his head.

Tiffany leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially, "he's pretty cute! If you're not going out with him, gimmie his number!"

Nick twitched a bit and shifted in his seat, still staring away from the two girls resolutely.

Jackie gave her a snarky grin. "Hey, Tiff, y'know that if ya hang out the window like that, people can see down yer shirt, right?" Tiffany gasped and blushed, yanking herself upright again while Nick continued looking away, determinedly not paying attention.

Jackie guffawed. "Hee, Nick, yer pretty cool, not takin' that chance, y'know?"

He sat quietly, ignoring her as he looked out the slightly fogged windshield.

"Wazzat?"

"I said, I'm not interested," Nick muttered a little louder as he turned back around, face a deep scarlet despite the small frown tugging at his lips.

"Ya don't gotta act like a prude ya know. Tiff flashes 'em tits all the time!" Jackie said proudly, much to the embarrassment of her friend.

"Will you two [i]please[/i] move up? There's a, uh...other customer coming up, yeah!" Tiffany said quickly, trying to hide from the thorough shaming Jackie was putting her through.

"Yeah, yeah, get that speaker fixed, it's on its last legs."

Tiffany saluted her before power walking away, most likely to get away from her and get in touch with the manager. Jackie pulled up to the second window, got the food, and went around the block to find a parking space away from the Burger King.

Jackie turned to look at her companion and lost her smile when she saw he was once again turned away and hunched over. "... Why're ya mad, Nick?"

"Hmm?" He looked up, seeing concern, or maybe worry in Jackie's eyes. He shrugged and looked away again.

"Ya looked mad when me n' Tiff were teasin' ya. Y'know y'all can juss' ask me ta stop, right?"

"I'm... not good with girls. Or words. Shut up."

"Ah' am _[i]not[/i] _gonna shut up if one a mah friends is upset! If Ah'm the cause, then Ah' wanna fix it, an' make sure it won't happen again, that's all!"

"L-Listen, Jackie," he stuttered, a hint of blush still lingering on his face. "You're being awfully friendly to a stranger. So... thanks."

"Shucks, ya ain't no stranger, Nick... You're a friend o' Henry's, so yer a friend o' mine. If ya weren't able ta hang an' play nice with Henry of all people, then we mighta still been friends, but we might not've ever met. Henry needs our help an' protection, an' even some tough love every now an' then. If yer helpin' him out, then by golly, you're a good guy, an' I wanna know ya better."

She picked up her drink and took a sip, before grabbing the food from the back seat. "Want yer burger?"

"Yeah. Thanks again..."

"No problem. Next time we go on a date, Ah'll let you pay, ya hear?"

"Uh-wa-hey!" Nick sputtered, his face turning scarlet once more.

"Heehee, sorry, couldn't help it!" Jackie laughed as Nick took a bite out of his burger, glowering at it as he did so.

"But in all serious...Ah' consider this a date..." She said as her cheeks tinted lightly.

"WHAT!?"

"Well, we're sittin' here, eatin' tagether, all alone," she leaned in closer. "... Nobody around to hear me if Ah' screamed..." Faster than she could blink, Nick's door was open, he was on his back outside the car, scrambling to his feet. "Oh no ya don't!" Jackie shoved her door open and bolted around the car. Nick was on his feet and fleeing the scene with a brisk stride. "Hang on just a cotton-pickin' minute!" She shouted, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket.

"What are you doing!?" Nick shouted, trying to struggle out of the coat while being pulled back to the jeep. Jackie put an arm around his waist and with just her shoulder strength, butted Nick against the car.

"Didn't Ah tell ya' ya'll ain't walkin' home in the rain if Ahm' around!?" She shouted. "Ahm-a tryin' ta be a friend an' help ya out and ya'll bailin' like that is extremely rude. Ya'll wanna tell me just what in Sam Hell your problem is?"

Nick's teeth clenched for a moment before he barked back, "I told you I'm not good with this type of thing! What did you think was going to happen if you kept it up?"

"Ah thought ya'll would learn a little innocent fun. Didn't think you'd run off like a headless chicken and get us both wet! This is what I was tryin' to avoid!"

"Well you did a damn fine job of it, didn't you?" Nick yelled, the rain shooting off his face and out of his mouth as he spoke. He gave half an attempt at moving again but Jackie held him fast against the car. She was staring sternly into his eyes through the rain. Lightning flashed and loud thunder followed a moment later, somehow bringing even heavier rain. Just the few seconds spent out here, they were both thoroughly soaked.

Not able to handle Jackie's stare anymore, Nick shifted his eyes in search for anything else to look at. Finding nothing, he looked back at Jackie, whose expression had finally softened and her grip relaxed. "Okay, look, buddy. Ah'm sorry. I didn't mean to make ya'll uncomfortable." Without a word, Nick got his back off the jeep, only to be gently pushed back against it. "But I still ain't lettin' you walk all the way home in this weather. If you don't get hit by a car you'll catch a death of cold."

"Like I care..." Nick muttered as he averted his eyes, earning another shove from Jackie.

Jackie looked at him curiously, her brow furrowed and her head slightly cocked to the right. Eventually, she chose to ignore his statement. That could be dealt with later. "Can you just get back in the car? Even just for me?" She asked with her best attempt at puppy-dog eyes.

"If it'll get you off my case, fine," said Nick.

"Shake on it?" Jackie took her right hand off his shoulder to hold it up to his chest. This time, Nick rolled his eyes and accepted the handshake. Jackie gave him a firm shake before pulling him into a friendly hug. Nick resisted for a moment, but she held him fast. "It's alright ta be nervous gettin' close ta people, ya know? That just means ya'll need practice. But ya can't get it if yer running away...Believe me...Ah know." Nick relaxed slightly in her embrace and she released him. "Now get in the car, ya big fool," she chuckled.

Nick got into the car as quickly as he could and closed the door. Jackie casually got back into the drivers' seat. Soaking wet and uncomfortable, she started up the car and drove off. Nick spent the remainder of the ride in almost complete silence, only speaking when a direction was needed and occasionally taking bites of his meal. He kept his eyes out the window and his body pressed against the door, fidgeting more and more as the drive continued. Not helping anything was Jackie being forced to slow down to make sure she wouldn't hydroplane on the nearly flooding roads.

Eventually, they arrived at Nick's driveway. "Go get yourself dried off and have a nice night, ya hear?" Jackie said as he opened his door.

"Yeah," Nick replied shortly.

"Can't wait fer next time!" She called out with an innocent wink.

"Yeah...sure...whatever..." Nick said, sounding unsure of himself. "Thanks for the ride," he said before shutting the car door and sprinting into his house.

[hr]

Nick panted as he stood outside his house, rain-slicked jacket pulled tight around his body. "What... what the hell... God... dammit... Ugh..." He put his hands on his knees, and took a moment to calm down before walking inside.

Slamming his bedroom door behind him, Nick threw off the jacket, pulled off his damp shirt, and flopped down on his bed.

Closing his eyes, he started breathing deeply, trying to force himself to sleep. _[i]'... tagether, all alone...'[/i]_ Nick jerked suddenly, eyes opening with a gasp. Shaking his head, he closed his eyes tight, but all he could see was her smile, and her face as she leaned over. "Dammit... fucking hell..."

[hr]

Jackie paced outside the front door of the small, somewhat shabby house on Barker Street, muttering to herself. "C'mon, Jackie, you can do it..." Jackie was outside of one of her newest— and possibly, her shortest-lived— friends' house. "All ya gotta do is 'pologize ta Nick. Tha's all... Can't be all that hard, right?"

It was almost three days after the... incident... between them, and not even Henry had seen Nick roaming the halls of the college. He was worried, and his worry made her feel even worse. It was [i]_her fault_[/i]. She was the one that did this, but how could she just hope for him to accept what she had to say? Biting her fingernail, she once again tried to form something well worded in her mind, and—

"Hey."

"Gya!" Almost falling over as she turned around, Jackie saw Nick standing there, leash in hand and a dog sitting next to him. "O-oh. H-howdy. Uh..."

Nick shrugged and looked away, but his face was tinged a bit red. "So... what're you doing here?"

Jackie sucked in a breath, eyes widening as if she'd been hit... and then she let it go. [i]_'It's mah fault, after all..'[/i] _She looked up again. "H-hey, Nick... Can Ah' talk to ya? A-as friends. Or acqu— acquain-ugh. As people who know each other?"

"Well... if you really want to, I don't see why not."

Jackie sighed in relief, her body losing tension she hadn't noticed was there. "Great, great! Ai'ight, where you wanna talk? Here? Inside? Anywhere's fine."

"... Let's go for a walk." As he said so, he lightly tugged on the leash, and the dog beside him stood up, trotting happily down the street and sniffing here and there as they went.

After walking for a few minutes, and enduring the silence for as long as possible, Jackie finally spoke. "So... A-about... about a few days ago..."

"Whatever you're about to say, I forgive you." Nick sighed, waving his hand to demonstrate the fact. "I'm the one who should be apologizing for overreacting back then..."

Jackie shook her head. "No, ya'll weren't in the wrong at all!" Jackie jumped in front of Nick and put her hands on her hips. "Ah' was the one who kept bein' funny after ya'll said ya didn't like it! Ah' was the one who was teasin' ya, even though you asked fer me ta stop!"

"... I didn't ask," Nick muttered as he looked away from Jackie.

"An' besides! Ah' said Ah'd take care-a ya, an' you ended up walkin' home anyways! Tain't your fault fer [i]_none[/i]_ o' that, so... so... Ah'm takin' full responsibility, an'... an'..." Jackie panted, her face red from either embarrassment or her yelling fit. "... Ah'm sorry. Maybe Ah' ain't that good a friend, after all..."

"Jackie, you only met me once and you offered to buy me food and drive me home. You're probably a better friend than I could ever be..." Nick gave a self-depreciating grimace and put his hands in his pockets before looking away once again.

Jackie reached out a hand, hesitated, and dropped it back to her side, clenched in a fist. "Ah'm gonna make it up to ya, anyhow. So... please, let me treat ya to lunch again. Anywhere's fine, as long as it ain't that hoity-toity place Henry works at. The other custa'mers always give me the _[i]look[/i]." _So saying, she threw a wide-eyed glower towards Nick, before tempering it with a giggle.

"I know where you're coming from," he chuckled. "But I guess I have no choice but to accept."

"Great! When should Ah' swing by? How's Tuesday?"

"Three in the afternoon okay with you?"

"Eeyup!"

Nick nodded, giving Jackie a faint smile. "Okay, then it's settled."

Nick and Jackie said goodbye, Jackie heading back towards her Jeep. "Yes, he accepted! Yes... yes... yes!" Prancing back to her jeep, she couldn't wipe the smile off her face, not even when Michael made a lewd comment about her at work. _[i]'Ah'm gonna be the best me possible, or mah name ain't Jacqueline_ _Abigail Smith!'[/i]_

[center][i]A couple of weeks later...[/i][/center]

Nick bounced a ball off his bedroom wall, thinking to himself. It wasn't unusual of him to partake in the activity as he always went through the nagging thoughts that grabbed onto his attention every day, but today was different. So was every day for the last week or so. Someone had become important to him and it irked him to no end. Not because he disliked her, but because he couldn't understand why he [i]_did[/i]_.

"What is it about her that has her stuck in my damn mind every fucking day?" He thought out loud, throwing the ball with more force than necessary. "She's just some fucking girl. What makes her any different from most girls my age? Granted, she's not a stupid slut like most of them..." He bit his lip and threw the ball at a higher angle, twisting his face to the side and narrowly avoiding connecting his face with the ball.

"What makes her different? I mean, she really has a passion for animals. She could probably snap most girls like they were twigs. And she's funny... She's nice. She has a pretty cute accent. Plus she is... attractive, I suppose..." Nick caught the ball one final time in his hand before resting his back against the backboard, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"She's... cool. And I really wouldn't mind hanging out with her some more, I guess. I don't see this becoming more than a friendship though if I'm lucky, she probably goes after meatheads anyway... I need to stop thinking about her, it's... she's really messing with my head." He pulled out his phone and scratched the back of his head, looking through his contacts list.

"Henry's probably busy, Rami's... well, Rami. Screw it, if Mac can talk, or cry to me about his shit, I don't see why I can't take up his offer to have a normal conversation to get this crap off my mind." Nick rationalized, tapping on Mac's contact info and calling him.

[hr]

Mac smiled and parted a loose strand of Tara's strawberry blonde hair, kissing his way softly down her jawline as she cooed quietly and leaned into his strong, warm body. He grinned slightly as he pressed their lips together, his hands cupping her firm rear end as they begun to make out in the back of his spacious pickup truck.

"Mmmm..." Tara moaned into the kiss, parting her lips and licking his as she begged silently for entrance.

Wordlessly, Mac allowed her tongue to meet his as they fought for dominance, his breath becoming shallower as her hands pressed roughly into his chest, feeling the definition built from all the intense labor he had put himself through as a farmer, and had continued working on in the gym since moving to town.

Just as his hand groped one of her perky, clothed breasts, his phone rang loudly much to their annoyance. He pulled away and sat up, huffing at the interruption.

"Mackie!" Tara cried out, wanting nothing more for him than to ignore the phone call and shower her with affection.

"Ah' know, Ah' know, but Ah' gotta see who it is at least." Mac replied with a sigh, running a hand through his flat blonde hair. His eyebrow rose as he noticed who was calling him.

"Nick?"

Nick stayed quiet for several moments before replying, "Do I really want to know what I just interrupted?"

Mac sighed again, his nostrils flaring as he tried to calm down. "For ya information, Ah' was spendin' some time with Miss Sterlin'."

"I'll bet," he said rather sarcastically.

"Har, har, partner. Why don't ya cut the attitude an' get to the point. Ah' got an upset lady to please." Mac said in a hushed whisper, looking over his shoulder at Tara who merely crossed her arms under her chest and gave him an annoyed glare.

"Well... may as well get this off my chest. I can't get this chick out of my mind and I really haven't a clue in the fucking world why."

"Ah' think ya fancy her." The photographer said in a teasing voice.

Nick grunted in annoyance at his friend's antics. "Get your mind out of the fuc—sorry. It's just... all this is pretty foreign for me, and I'm not sure how to make it stop."

"In all seriousness, it sounds to me that ya like her."

"But... but I'm not even sure I want a relationship in this lifetime! On top of all that, I barely even know her! I know she's great with animals, a bit on the loud side, and I think she would have tried to wrestle me if my view of animals challenged her own, but other than that..."

Mac chuckled deeply. "Heh...She sounds like my big sis, Jackie."

Nick's blood ran cold. "...Y-your..."

"Huh? What's wron' Nick?"

The only thing he heard before the call ended was the sound of something hitting the ground.

"Well, that's strange?"

Tara wrapped her arms around his chest. "And what would that be, [i]Mackie[/i]?" She whispered in his ear.

He shuddered at the seductive tone she whispered his pet name. "A-ah'm not sure...coulda sworn he uh gave me the impression he likes mah sis." Mac said in confusion, rubbing his chin in thought before he felt a pair of firm, [i]naked[/i] breasts against his back.

She giggled as he sat stock still, tracing a finger over his chest. "Ah' reckon ya'll should think about it [i]after[/i] we have a round in the rodeo, [i]pardner[/i]." Tara said in a downright sexy southern belle accent.

"E-eeyup!"

Author's Note: *Yes, Xbox. We could've said Wii just the same, but we decided on this console because it's one that we have better knowledge on.


	8. S2 Episode 3: Cold Play, Hard Work

**Chapter 3: Cold Play, Hot Work**

As Henry drove up the long hill to school, Octavia nervously shifted in her seat. "Oh, I hope the courses aren't [i]_too[/i]_ hard... Are the teachers nice?"

Henry shrugged slightly before patting her shoulder. They pulled into the college's parking lot and got out of the car. Walking into the building's main entrance, the two of them passed by a small area with a few vending machines, a lounge area, and the reception counter, before finally reaching a classroom near the back. Of course, this being the music hall, the building was smaller than the others nearby.

Octavia walked into the room. Desks and tables were scattered around the room like wind-blown leaves but most of the area was cleared. Most likely for the convenience of students who wished to practice before or after class. The teacher was an elderly looking lady with a gentle face but carried an air of authority about her. She was playing with her jewelry while sitting on the corner of the front desk. Flashing the teacher a small smile, Octavia approached with an outstretched hand. "Good morning, are you Miss Reynolds?"

The woman glanced Octavia over before shaking her hand. "Yes, dear. And you are..?"

Octavia released Ms. Reynolds' hand and cleared her throat before speaking. "Octavia Clef, ma'am." She said with a small smile, tugging nervously at one of her sleeves.

"I'm Miss Reynolds," the teacher said with a smile, before widening her eyes a bit. "Oh, are you the one with amnesia, Miss Clef?"

"Oh, yes... That's me." Octavia looked away, shifting on the balls of her feet.

"Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

Octavia shifted her stance and cleared her throat a second time. "A little while ago I was in a car accident. When I woke up... I couldn't remember anything at all."

Ms. Reynolds gave a sympathetic nod. "Well I'm very sorry for you. If there's anything I can do to help or if you need extra time on assignments, let me know and I'll work with you."

"That sounds lovely, Ms. Reynolds," Octavia smiled. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, dearie. Now take a seat anywhere you'd like. We'll be starting soon."

Before long, the rest of her future classmates began to trickle into the room, many of them engaged in some sort of music related conversation.

"You cannot tell me Carly Ray Jepson has talent! That bitch can't even sing live!"

"She has more talent than Justin Dweeber."

"Maybe in bed, yeah, but not on stage."

"Eww, you _like_ that little dork?"

"Hey, he's not as gay as Twilight!"

She tuned them out and tried to steady her breathing and ignore the guilt that tried to eat away at her insides. [i]_I'm going to be sitting here, lying to my classmates every time we speak to one another. I can't tell them [/i]_anything[i]_ about my past, because of this... 'Amnesia' I have. I hope—[/i]_

"Hi!"

"Gyah!" Octavia lurched up, startled out of her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that, heehee!" Beside her was a girl holding a small rectangular case. Her hair was a light, strawberry red with a mess of curls, and her face was petite, and definitely cute. "My name's Nikki, Nikki Connors! Well, my first name's actually Elizabeth, and my middle name's Nicole, but everyone just calls me Nikki for short!" The young woman gushed out, excited as can be.

Octavia's eye twitched, as the girl's antics reminded her of somepony she used to know. "Ehh, Nikki, i-it's nice to, eh, make your acquaintance...You're quite... [i]_boisterous[/i]_, aren't you? Are you anticipating something to make you so excited?" She gave a small, forced laugh as she looked at the other girl.

"Of course I'm excited! I'm starting a new super-fun class with a whole lot of super nice people and I want to make sure I'm friends with all my classmates— Hey is that a cello?"

Finally given a pause, Octavia realized her eyes had widened. She shook the surprised expression off her face and answered in her normal demeanor. "Yes, yes it is."

"Well I play lots and lots of instruments but I decided to do Viola for this class. It looks like we'll be seating buddies! Can I see your cello?" Nikki asked, already bending down and reaching for the latches.

"N-no, please, don't."

Nikki pulled back her hands and immediately sat down. "Okie~dokie!" She cocked her head to the side with a curious expression on her face. "Oh, your case opens differently compared to others I've seen. It's rather silly. Since most standard cases are made for right-handed people, I just called it a lefty case because it's the less common case style."

The tenseness in her body slowly ebbed away as she smiled at the energetic girl. "Actually, the case is upside down." She pointed out with a small giggle.

Nikki's cheek tinted a light pink as she rubbed the back of her head. "Guess I couldn't tell while being upside down. I gotta practice that more!"

"Yes, of course." Octavia shuffled her music sheets around, organized them, and pulled her cello out of its case. "So besides the viola...what other instruments do you play, Nikki?"

Nikki held her chin in her hand, looking up at the ceiling as she gave it thought. "Hmmm...well, I play the xylophone, viola, trumpet, tuba, french horn, trombone, harmonica, accordion, banjo, flute, guitar, drums, bass, and my most favorite of all, the tambourine!"

Her eyes widened at the sizeable list of instruments. Would one person be truly capable of not only understanding, but also be [i]proficient[/i] at playing such an absurd number of instruments? Most ponies could only play, at most, one or two. "So you're going to play in a band?"

"Yeah!" Nikki smiled wide, a hand in the air for half a second before she continued. "And that's why I always carry my drum-chucks!"

Octavia was at a loss for words as Nikki pulled out what looked like a slightly modified pair of nunchucks, or rather, a pair of drumsticks held together by a small chain. "I... don't understand," Octavia finally said. "Why would you need, uh, 'drum-chucks' if you're playing the viola?"

"Oh, don't be silly~" Nikki sang, her voice bubbling with laughter. "No one would sign me on as a band member for playing any of those other silly instruments! No, I play _[i]drums[/i], _like a real rocker!" She giggled, twirling her drum-chucks around in a grand display of dexterity. "Drummers are always in high demand, because most everybody who learns an instrument either plays a string instrument like a guitar or just does singing! Drummers are rare, and girl drummers are even moreso, probably!" Nikki plopped down in the seat beside Octavia and let her body relax as she gave a long sigh. "Oof, life's pretty rough though, isn't it?"

"Yes, it definitely is," Octavia replied.

"By the way, what's your name again?" Nikki asked with a cute tilt of the head.

"Octavia Cleff. You may call me Octavia."

"Sure thing, 'Tavi! You can call me Nikki!" Octavia closed her eyes and sighed; did everyone use that nickname?

Before either one of them could talk any further— much to Octavia's relief— their teacher cleared her throat, marker in hand as she stood beside the whiteboard.

[hr]

Octavia sighed as she walked out of the classroom, almost wishing there was a bell system like at the Musical Arts Academy in Canterlot.

She also wished she could understand a word her new... 'friend'... was saying. She just would not stop talking! "—And then he just starts [i]_wailing[/i]_ on his guitar like 'dnanananananana-nana-na—nuh-nuh-nooowwww~!' and the drummer's all like, 'duh-doo, duh-duh-doo, duh-doo, duh-duh-da-dooomdananananaacra-pow!' and the crowd was just going _[i]crazy[/i],_ and— hey, you wanna grab something to drink? My treat!" Nikki skipped over to the vending machine in the music hall's cramped lobby and plunked in a couple quarters, and practically stuffed a dollar into the slot. "What'cha like to drink?"

Octavia shrugged, not caring, as she looked at the clock on the wall. She still had five minutes before her next class, which was Composition 101. "Elizabeth, I was wondering..."

"Uh-uh, like I said! Nikki~" the other girl sang as she thrust a somewhat chilled plastic bottle into her hands. "Hope ya like strawberry milk, 'Tavi! They were all outta the mochas!"

Nikki shook hers fast enough that Octavia could've sworn she saw friction burns in the air before twisting off the top and chugging away like it was her first drink in weeks.

"So, eh, Nikki, I was wondering... Where would one find the English Composition class?" Octavia scratched her head ruefully. "I, uh... I don't have a map."

Nikki beamed and giggled, tossing her empty beverage container into the rubbish bin behind her. "Sure, I can take you there! My next class is in the same wing, anyways!"

Octavia shook her head bemusedly as Nikki started dancing towards the door, her viola's case swinging along to a song only its owner could hear. [i]_'Pinkie... Whatever's happening back home, please; Keep smiling for me.'[/i]_

[hr]

Henry walked towards the vending machine. After pulling out a couple of bills, he bought himself some juice and took deep gulp. Feeling instantly refreshed, he sighed to himself and leaned against the side of the machine, waiting patiently for his friend. As he waited idly, he pulled out his slate and checked his e-mail only to find nothing of importance. His notifications tray was empty, and everything seemed to be in order. A rather loud, fast paced voice caught his attention and he looked up in time to see Octavia and a girl with strawberry colored hair walking towards him.

Octavia waved at him with a smile, which he eagerly returned.

"Oooh! Whose is this? The guy you told me about, Tavi!?" Nikki asked with sparkling eyes.

"Yes, this is Henry Westñaire, my close friend and roommate." Octavia said, approaching Henry and hugging him gently.

"Roommate!? I'm so jealous! I'm still stuck at home until I find a place willing to put up with my drum playing." She said, crossing her arms with a pout.

Octavia merely chuckled, stepping aside as Henry moved forward and held out his hand in greeting.

Nikki giggled and wrapped her arms around him, hugging Henry tightly. "Silly goose! I only give hugs! Handshakes are [i]_way_[/i] too formal for me!"

Henry merely grinned and shook his head as he returned the hug, patting her back before wiggling out of her hold.

"So how long have you two known each other for?" She asked curiously.

The mute man simply typed away on his phone. "She and I go back some years."

"That's so cool! I got a couple of friends that go [i]_waayyyyy_[/i] back! We're talking Pre-K days, the good old days." She said wistfully, her eyes staring into space as she went down memory lane.

Octavia looked at her with a tilted face and Henry merely shrugged.

Nikki suddenly gasped in realization, her curls bouncing wildly. "Oh no! I have class! I'll see you later 'Tavi and Henry!" She shouted behind her as she ran off towards the nearest stairwell.

"Well she certainly has character." Henry wrote on his slate, chuckling quietly.

Octavia sighed a bit. "You wouldn't know the half o—"

"Why hello, Mutey! What's up man?" An obnoxious voice interrupted. Henry cringed as he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder. "How's my favorite [i]friend[/i] doing this lovely spring day?" The man asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

His shoulders merely tensed, teeth grinding slightly as he tried to ignore the other man's existence.

Octavia intervened, shoving the guy off with ease. "That was quite rude of you." She said, eyes narrowed at him.

The man merely laughed. "Where are my manners? Names Kenne, Kenne Tanker," he said smoothly, grasping her hand and kissing the back of it.

She grimaced and yanked back her hand, only to throw it forward and backhand his bicep with it. "Do [i]not[/i] touch me you ignorant twit!" Octavia venomously scorned him.

Kenne looked at her like a hurt puppy. "But what I do wrong? I'm just bein' a gentleman."

Octavia scoffed at him. "A gentleman does _[i]not[/i]_ insult others as a greeting nor force themselves upon a lady. "

He merely chuckled. "My apologies, Miss. I was just giving my dumb friend here—"

"His name is [i]_Henry_[/i]," she interrupted with a glare.

Kenne rolled his eyes. "As I was saying, I was just giving my friend Henry a visit. It's been awhile since he and I have chatted, right?" He asked, grinning at Henry as though they were the best of friends. Henry glared at him before standing by Octavia, annoyed with his presence.

"He doesn't look very enthused to see you. [i]_Clearly_[/i], you two must be the [i]_best_[/i] of friends, hmm?" She asked sarcastically, crossing her arms with an unamused expression on her face.

He scoffed and wrapped his arm around her, grinning widely. "I'm just wondering to myself... what's a babe like you doing with a scrubby kid like Mutey? Kid can't even stand up to bullies; it's like he's too afraid to speak up for himself," Kenne suddenly laughed loudly, much to the annoyance of the other two.

Octavia grabbed his arm and drove her elbow into his sternum while stepping back. She felt his ribs compress under the force and she heard the air squeeze out of his lungs. He folded over and stumbled back a couple of feet, grabbing his chest. "Who the fuck you think you are, you stupid [i]cunt[/i]?" he wheezed.

Octavia stood her ground and looked up slightly into his eyes, glaring daggers at him. "I think I am very [i]_mature_[/i], something you are definitely [i]_not_[/i]."

Kenne bit his lip, his anger positively boiling as he cocked back his arm and tried to punch her in the face when Mac happened to round the corner. Mac's eyes bugged and his hand shot forward before Kenne could throw, grabbing Kenne's wrist. "What do ya think yer doin' partner?" Mac bellowed.

Octavia looked up in surprise. "Mac?"

Kenne trembled, trying to free his arm. "Let go of me, asshat!"

Mac snorted. "Look here, bud. These two're friends a mine, an' Ah' ain't gonna stand by an' let some punk-ass feller like you mess with 'em." Mac checked his watch as Kenne continued struggling in his grip.

"I said [i]_let go_[/i]!" He shouted, elbowing Mac's chest.

Mac grunted and swept his leg beneath Kenne's, knocking him to his knees. "Ah'm bein' serious, bud. Ah' don't want ta get physical if Ah' can help it, but Ah' _[i]will[/i]._" The last two words were punctuated by a low growl, and Kenne scrambled backwards, rubbing his arm, eyes wild.

"You're all fuckin' freaks, y'know that?! Freaks! Go fuck yourselves! Alla you!" He turned around and ran out the door, still calling out less and less intelligible swears as he went.

"Ah' think that mighta hurt a bit," Mac muttered as he rubbed where Kenne had hit him. "Looks like Ah'll hafta get Tara ta look at it, eh, Henry?" He flashed a cheeky grin and Henry busied himself with looking at the wall, cheeks slightly flushed. "Wull, Y'all better get ta class, Ah' gotta be at the studio soon, or else mah boss'll rip me a new one." With that and a wave, he headed out towards the parking lot, leaving Henry and Octavia alone.

Octavia let out a small sigh. "That was... actually quite scary."

Henry nodded, but made no movement to pull out his slate. "Well, come now, Henry. I still need to know where to find the Gymnasium. Care to show me the way?" He gave a stiff nod and started heading in the direction Octavia had come from.

[i]'Dammit,'[/i] Henry thought to himself as he lead Octavia to the building two away from the English hall. [i]'Kenne was... And I...'[/i] His hand trembled slightly as he opened the door, the sound of sneakers on synthetic wood flooring emanating from within. Octavia thanked him and walked inside, a small bounce in her step as if she'd already forgotten the encounter just minutes before. [i]'Kenne was going to hit her, and I... I couldn't—'[/i] He pounded a fist against the building's exterior, still shaking. _[i]'I just... I froze up. I couldn't do anything. It was just like_—'[/i] Henry shook his head, stopping the thought before it could complete itself. He walked away from the gym, and headed towards the Music hall. _[i]'I _[/i]need[i] _to protect her. I need to protect _[/i]myself.[i] _I can't always rely on others, not forever. I think it's time I started training again.'[/i]_


End file.
